Equestrian Epona
by Shritistrang
Summary: For the longest time, Epona has served as the loyal mount of Link, hero of Hyrule. But what if one day, she finds out that she's actually from a world inhabited by intelligent equines such as herself? And when she gets the choice in which world she wants to live... what world would she choose?
1. A pony named Epona

Let me tell you something about the hero of time.

No, I'm not talking about how the common Hylian sees him. Let's talk about him from a completely different point of view. Not from the people he saved, not from his friends, not from the princess who governs Hyrule. Not even from the eyes of his enemies.

Let's talk about how the hero of time is viewed by the individual who sees herself as his closest friend and ally, his trusted companion and the one who considers herself closer to him than anyone else has ever been. The young boy named Link who grew into a man during his long and arduous adventure… he never had any family to speak of. He never met his parents and the closest thing he had to a sister was forced to part with him as soon as they realized their destinies were different from each other. He never fell in love and never had that many friends. Not even that annoying, bug-winged ball of light could claim that she was as close to him as I was.

I was the one who was constantly at his side. I was the one who carried him through thick and thin. I was the one who came running whenever he played that beautiful tune on his instrument. And even though I never could follow him into the depths of all those dangerous dungeons he ventured into, I loyally waited for him to come back out, all the time. I even came with him when he set out to find that stupid fairy… Only Nayru knows what he sees in her. Of course, I regretted that decision as soon as that mischievous imp jumped on my back and startled me so much that I ran away as fast as my little legs could carry me. Curse my muddled little horse brain…

But still, he came back for me. That moment alone showed me how much he cared. It doesn't matter that I'm a completely different species than him. It doesn't even matter to me if he thinks I'm nothing but a common, unintelligent beast of burden. As long as I can stay at his side, I'm happy.

Now don't confuse these feelings with love. This is nothing like it. I don't feel any physical attraction to him. And it's not sibling love either. I don't know how to call it, but every time I run towards him, every time he rides into battle on my strong back, I feel the strong bond between us. A bond of loyalty and friendship.

I understand completely if most of you are confused by now. Yes, you might have guessed it already by my words: I'm a horse. My name is Epona, and I'm the loyal mount of Link, hero of time. I can already imagine how some of you might scratch your heads and think: An intelligent horse? How in the worlds can that be? All of you, feel free to think that way. It is completely understandable. Every person in Hylia, Termina and many of the other countless worlds that seem to exist would think like that. Horses are not supposed to be intelligent. Sure, this is a magical land whith fairys and magic and talking scrubs… but horses are horses. They never talk.

Well, let me use this chance to tell you about a different topic: My dreams! Yes, horses do dream. However, they usually are nothing special. Your common workhorse dreams of nothing more than a warm stable, a caring owner and a tasty carrot now and then. A warhorse might dream of carrying her master into glorious battle. But my dreams are different.

In my dreams, horses can talk. Or more importantly, ponies can talk.

In my dreams, I'm in a completely different world. It's a world as magical and fantastic as Hyrule, but it's much more colorful and lively. While Hyrule is beautiful, it can also be dark, creepy and dangerous. Stalchilds roam the plains at night, graveyards are haunted by Poes and man-eating Dodongos inhabit the mountain.

Sure, there are dangers in my dream world too. But you don't see them that much. They are hidden away in their own small dark corners of the world. Everything else is bright and happy and full of sunshine and rainbows. And there are no bipeds anywhere. Not counting the occasional minotaur or rupee-eating canine. The predominant species in this world are equines. Ponies, to be exact. They talk, they laugh, they work, they play, they do magic and fly through the sky.

This is Equestria. And in my dreams, I live there, among others of my kind. I'm not seen as the dull-minded animal, but as an equal among equals.

I don't know when these dreams started, but I know I had them before I met Link for the first time. At first, life on the farm was as dull as it could be. I was a lively little filly and felt imprisoned within the boundaries of this fence, these high walls. Sure, the farmer's little daughter was nice and caring and had the most melodic voice I ever heard, but it was still a prison. Only after meeting Link, after becoming his companion, would I begin to experience true freedom.

But before that, Equestria was my only escape. Before meeting Link, it was the only place I found joy. I was a pony among ponies. Like in Hyrule, I was working on a farm. But unlike here, I actually owned it. My family owned it, to be precise. Yes, I had a true family back then. Here at the Lon Lon Ranch, I only have the Hylians who take care of me. But in Equestria, everything was different. My family was not only big, we were proud. Proud to be part of this family, proud to be farmers, proud of being an earth pony.

Oh, excuse me. You probably don't really know what that is. Earth ponies, they are one of the three dominant pony species in Equestria. Pegasi have wings and control the weather. Unicorns have horns and weave magic spells. Earth ponies don't have horns and wings, but they are strong. They are tough. And they are stern. They take care of the earth they walk upon and the earth gives them back.

In my dreams, I was an earth pony. And I couldn't be happier. But every time I woke up, every time I had to bid this wonderful land farewell, it felt like waking up from a dream. Which it was. I'm not an earth pony. I can't talk. I'm just regular old Epona.

But I shouldn't complain. I have something other horses don't have. I am the companion of the hero who saved Hyrule and Termina. And I wouldn't want it different. Not for all the carrots in the world, not for all the free land to roam and not even for Equestria would I ever want to leave his side. I would be his house, his mount, his friend. Forever.

And for the longest time, I believed it would always be like this.

And just when I accepted my place, my place alongside my friend, my place in Hyrule… that's when my true story started. Listen closely, and I will tell you about it.

* * *

It happened after Link and I returned from Termina. We never did manage to find that annoying fairy, thank Farore. We came back to Hyrule, the land we left after Link defeated the King of Evil and was transported back through time, back into his own childhood. Don't ask me how all that works, my little horse brain is confused every time I try to think about it. Anyways, Link was back and everyone was glad. He started a new life and became older, naturally, aging over the years, as he was supposed to. The boy became a man. And me? Well, the filly became a mare. But did our lives change a lot after this? Not really. We still roamed the country in search of adventures, we assisted the people of Hyrule whenever they were in trouble and I carried Link into battle against monsters. Sure, Ganondorf was no more. But there have always been monsters in Hyrule and there always will be.

I still remember how Link and I rode across the wide plains of Hyrule Field. Like always, I enjoyed the freedom. Back at the farm, I was never able to run this fast. I was so enthralled by the speed, the adrenaline, the wind in my mane… I almost didn't notice the giant shadow approaching us. Not until it blocked out all of the sun.

It was a giant bird, bigger than any of the monsters I had seen Link fight. It swooped down on us, razor-sharp claws spread. And it was aiming for Link. Yes, I could see it clearly: The beast wasn't just attacking randomly, it didn't attack because it was hungry, it didn't pick a random Hylian. Its enormous eyes were focussed completely on my rider and I realized it was here for him.

I couldn't let it take him.

Link shouted an order, but I didn't listen. With a shrill whinny, I bucked as hard as I had in my entire life. I used all my power to throw Link off my back, to get him out of that bird's reach. I know he survived worse falls, this was nothing. And I knew I just put myself in the most dangerous situation a horse could be in. But I didn't care. As long as he was safe.

The last thing I remember was the pain when the enormous claws closed around my body, squeezing the life out of me. I couldn't even tell if the monster was lifting me off the ground or not. The pain was worse than anything I felt before. It was so unbearable that I lost conciousness.

The first thing I noticed after waking up were the voices. The voices of the only two Hylians I ever cared about.

„She's waking up."

„Do you think she'll make it?"

„Of course she will! Don't be stupid. What I'm worried about is why she looks like this. Are you sure that song did what it was supposed to do?"

„Hey, I used it four times, once on me. It always worked."

I opened my eyes. What confused me right away was how big everything seemed to be. I realized I was lying on a soft straw bed in the stables of Lon Lon Ranch, but even while lying down, Link shouldn't be THIS tall.

I wanted to give them a small nicker, to show them I was fine. Instead, I started talking in a soft, sleepy sounding voice: „What's the matter, y'all?"

Link and Malon looked at me like I had grown an additional head. „She TALKS!" Malon gasped. „How can she talk? Link, what have you done? Your stupid song messed everything up." She grabbed Link by his tunic and started shaking him. She always does that when she's angry.

„I d-d-don't know, seriously! I have no explanation for any of this. I don't know why she looks like this, why she talks and why she has that thing on her flank."

„Huh? What thing?" I muttered and turned my head. I was still sleepy, so the fact that I just spoke like a Hylian wasn't too clear to me yet.

But I was wide awake as soon as I took a closer look at myself and saw just how much I had changed. Not only was I a lot smaller, I also had a shorter and probably also cuter muzzle. My body proportions were different and my eyes were WAY bigger than before. But what stood out most was the thing I saw on my flank, the symbol I've grown used to see several times on my journey with Link. Heck, I've even often enough on the back of his hand.

It was the image of the Triforce. Courage, Wisdom and Power, put together to form the symbol of the gods.

And it was my cutie mark.

Now just what are cutie marks? A cutie mark appears on a pony's flank as soon as she or he found that very certain something that makes her or him special. Basically, it shows the pony's destiny.

The only problem is: Cutie marks only exist in Equestria. Which is a place that only exists in my dreams.

Yet here I was, a pony. With a cutie mark showing the Triforce on my flank. What exactly that meant for my own destiny was a whole different story altogether. What I was more worried about was the fact that I looked exactly like I did when I was dreaming of Equestria.

I looked back up at the two Hylians that were still watching me with worry. Link hesitantly reached out with his hand. „E… Epona?"

„Um… howdy," I replied.

My Hylian partner certainly did not know how to react to that. In all fairness, neither did I. Link reached out with his finger, continuously poking the three golden triangles that now adorned my side. He continued doing so until it got on my nerves.

„Would you cut that out?" I snapped.

„Um, sorry," he sheepishly said and pulled back his finger. „I just don't know… is it really you?"

„Uh… yeah," I said. „And before y'all ask me, I have not the slightest clue how this happened."

„This is incredible," Malon gasped. I nearly forgot she was there. „My little Epona, the same filly I raised on my own here on the farm… and I'm able to talk to her." She seemed giddy all of a sudden. „Eeeeeee!" she squealed as she hugged me. „You're soooo cute!"

„Would you knock it off already?" I said in annoyance. „Honestly, you two are acting as if you've never seen a talking pony before."

„Well, of course we haven't," Malon said, still wearing that silly grin. Of course, she didn't let go of me either. „Ponies don't talk."

Oh, right. I forgot I wasn't in Equestria at the moment. Strange, being in this form almost made it feel like… wait a minute.

„Oh my gods!" I gasped. „It's true! It's all true. I thought it was just a dream, but it's true."

Link and Malon exchanged a confused glance. „Ehm… just what is true, exactly?" Link asked.

„My dreams! They were true all this time. I was living in this other world, as a pony among ponies, and… I had family there." The severeness of the truth hit me hard. „Dear Farore… no, dear Celestia… whatever… I really AM a member of the apple family."

„Epona, dear," Malon softly said. „Would you mind terribly to tell Link and me just what the hell you're talking about?"

I took a deep. „Okay… I will. But only if you let go of me already."

„Fine…" she muttered as she reluctantly pulled away her arms.

So I told them. I told them everything. About Equestria, about the three kinds of ponies that lived there, about my family. About the husband I suddenly knew I had, the lovable children we had, the parents that passed away way too soon and the many brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces. About the festivals we had together, the Apple family reunions and the Equestrian holidays we celebrated together, such as Hearth's Warming Eve and Nightmare Night. I talked and talked and talked. And the more I talked, the more all of this stopped seeming like a distant dream to me, but as the honest truth. And I started to realize that my dreams were more than that… they were memories of my former life. Of my life as Epona Apple.

My story went on late into the evening. During my story, Malon's father Talon had entered the barn to see why she wasn't preparing dinner. After seeing me and hearing me talk, his eyes went just as wide as the two younger Hylians. But instead of interrupting me, he quietly sat down next to them and listened as I continued. When I was finally finished, the three of them stared down at me, eyes wide with disbelief. I certainly could not blame them. It didn't happen a lot that someone you thought you knew turned out to be someone completely else.

„But wait… that doesn't make any sense," Link said. „You said you had this huge family in Horsewhatsia…"

„Equestria…" I corrected him with a frown.

„Right. That. You said you're from that land and not Hyrule… but how come I met you when you were a filly? Malon raised you on this farm. You were born here, right?"

„That's not exactly true, boy," Talon spoke up. „Epona was not born here at Lon Lon Ranch. We raised her here, true, but none of the horses we own is her mother. I found the little filly in front of the main gate, back when Malon was a baby. She was wrapped in a blanket, completely alone."

„Someone left a baby horse at your doorstep and you never found that weird?" Link asked.

„Of course it was weird, but what was I supposed to do? Leave her alone in the wilderness of Hyrule Field so the Stalchildren get her?"

„It certainly was weird, but I was very happy to see Epona grow older alongside me," Malon smiled. „Even though she's a horse, she was like the sister I never had. I would never question why she was brought to us, I was just happy to have her."

„So, in other words… you decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth." We all groaned at Link's horrible pun.

„But you're right, Link," I then said. „It doesn't make any sense. I remember my family, all of them. I remember my parents. I remember marrying my husband. I remember giving birth to my darling children. I remember every single time my cousin bested me in a lasso contest. But I also remember growing up on this farm. Somehow… I ended up here, in Hyrule, turned back into a foal." I clutched my head with my front hooves. „I'm trying to remember, but… my heard hurts every time I do that. I know that both of my lives are real, but that's it."

„You poor thing," Malon said as she gently stroke my mane. It felt really good, so I didn't stop her. „You must miss them a lot."

„So… you believe me?" I asked.

She smiled. „Why wouldn't we? You are Epona, the foal I grew up with. Besides, what reason would you have to lie?"

„Yeah, why shouldn't I believe the girl who carried me through thick and thin?" Link added with that cocky grin of his. „By the way, I think I never truly thanked you for all those times you helped. Thanks a bunch, buddy."

I smiled up at him. Yes, Link would be the first to believe such a story. How could I be foolish enough to think he would ever doubt me?

I then thought of something. „How exactly did I turn back to normal? All I remember is that huge bird and next thing I know is waking up here with you guys."

„To make a long story short, I pelted that featherbrain with arrows until he let go of you. That seemed to make him change his mind about having us for lunch, because he flew away after that. I didn't go after him, of course. I had to check up on you. And to be honest, I really thought I'd lose you back then." I looked into Link's eyes. They were filled with sorrow while he retold that scene. I could tell how much he really cared and how worried he was back then to lose me. „Your wounds were so severe, it was unlikely you'd survive if I went to get help. And you're really to heavy to carry you around, so I had to help you myself. But what was I supposed to do? I had no red potions left and you know I know next to nothing about first aid. So I did the only thing I could think of: I took the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Healing."

Of course! How could I not think of it sooner? The song Link learned from that creepy mask salesman. Capable of healing body, spirit and soul. „I see… the song did not only cure my wounds, but also turned me back into my old pony self." If I needed any other proof that my true form was that of an earth pony, this was it.

Link nodded. „Yeah, I was pretty surprised when you shrank down into a little pony. But at least you're light enough for me to pick you up like this. So I carried you all the way to Lon Lon Ranch, which wasn't that far away."

As I said, many people see their horses only as beasts of burden. As tools to do their dirty work for them. And if they don't work properly, they might even beat them. But people like Link and Malon are nothing like that. For them, a horse is a companion. A friend.

„Thank you for saving me, Link," I smiled.

„Hey, no problem." He returned the smile and gave my head an affectionate pet. I leaned my head into his soft caress and sighed. I always loved it when he did that.

„Now… what are we going to do?" Malon asked.

I hadn't thought of that. I was glad to clearly remember my past life, instead of just seeing it in my dreams. I know I would love to see it again, be with my family… but was there even a possibility to go back to Equestria? Our accidental trip to Termina was nothing either of us had control over, and up to this day, we never really knew just how we were able to travel back and forth. Also, leaving Hyrule would mean leaving Link behind. Is that really what I wanted. On the other hoof, there was another problem. Now that I was a pony, I was too small to serve as a mount for Link. Did that mean no more adventuring at his side?

Then I thought of something. „That blanket you found me in… do you still have it?"

Talon pointed upwards. „I think it's upstairs in that chest filled with old stuff from Malon's mother. Do you want to see it?"

I nodded, and the old farmer got up and left the barn. A couple of minutes later, he returned with the blanket. He laid it down in front of me so I could have a closer look. It was made out of a dark blue cloth and dotted with small white stars and a crescent moon.

The Hylians patiently watched and waited while I tried to remember where I had seen that image before. And then it hit me. I suddenly remembered seeing this very same image while reading an old mare's tale in a book.

„I know this symbol," I said. „It's the mark of the Mare in the Moon."


	2. Onwards to the Castle

Let me tell you about the Mare in the Moon.

As I said, she's an old pony's tale. A story to frighten little children. According to legend, she was a wicked mare of darkness sealed away in the moon that would one day be released and bring forth everlasting darkness over Equestria. I never believed that story to be true, in the same way the Hylians never believe the old legend about how the area around Lake Hylia used to be a huge desert once.

Still, there was the fact that the blanket Talon found me in had the same symbol on it I saw in that old book. That same book I used to read my children bedtime stories from. It countained multiple stories that all probably sounded very exciting or even frightening for little foals. Why should I believe them to be true?

Maybe it wasn't really such a big mystery. Maybe the previous owner of that blanket just enjoyed reading old stories like that. It still didn't tell me anything about how I appeared in Hyrule, as a foal, in front of the ranch.

„Mare in the Moon?" Link asked. „What's that?"

„N… nothing. It's not important," I quickly said and folded the blanket back together. A yawn then escaped my muzzle. „Hayseeds, I'm tired. And all this thinking isn't getting us anywhere. Would you guys mind if we call it a day and sleep on it?"

„That's actually a very good idea," Talon nodded. „It's getting late, and here on the farm we tend to get up early to do the chores."

„Don't you mean Ingo and I are getting up early?" Malon frowned. „You're usually sitting on your lazy bum and let us do all the work."

„Now listen here, girl!" Talon tried sounding stern. That never worked. „I'm the one taking care of the cuccos, that's a very important job."

„Last time I saw you ‚take care' of them, they crawled all over you while you were sleeping," Link grinned. I snickered at that.

Talon huffed. „Why, I oughta… You young'uns certainly need to learn how to treat your elders with some respect."

He and Malon then got up to leave. Before closing the barn door, Malon turned around one more time and asked Link: „Are you sure you don't want to sleep in the farmhouse? Dad can always take the couch."

But he only smiled at that. „No thanks. This straw is enough for me. Besides, Epona will have some company this way."

I blushed. „You… don't have to stay just because of me," I said. „Besides, there are still the other horses."

„Aw, stop it. We always guarded each other when we were camping out in Hyrule Field, didn't we? Why should it be different this time around?"

That made me smile. I was actually glad he decided to stay. I didn't know exactly why, but thinking of spending the first night in this new… or rather, old body made me feel uncomfortable. „Thank you."

„Well then, your decision. Sweet dreams, you two," Malon said with a smile before closing the door behind her.

Funny she would say that. Because that's the reason why I felt so nervous: The dreams! Up until now, I always used to dream of my old life in Equestria when I fell asleep. But now that I was back to my old self and knew it was more than a dream, would that change?

Link must have noticed how worried I was, since he knelt down next to me and asked: „What's the matter?"

I looked up at him. „I dunno… I guess I'm just afraid that if I go to sleep now, I might go back to Equestria for sure. And if that happens… I might not be able to come back."

Link took off his hat and scratched his head. That was always a sign that he was deep in thought. People might not guess, but Link was actually a very smart guy. Sure, he could act like a blockhead sometimes, but when it came to solving problems and puzzles, I never met anyone like him.

„Do you really think you actually ARE in Eq… Equestria when you dream about it?" he then asked.

„Well… no. I'm sure the dreams were just memories of my past life. But still, it felt so real… what if the next time, I will actually be there? It could happen!"

I couldn't tell if Link was believing that theory of mine. Truth to be told, it was pretty far-fetched. But could you blame me? This day, everything changed for me. It was just natural for me to be scared. Still I saw that he was taking my fears seriously.

Suddenly, he smiled. „You know, I could always stay up and guard you for the rest of the night. That way, I can make sure you don't go anywhere. How does that sound?"

„You would do that for me?" I asked. Stupid question. Of course he would.

„Sure. You had a pretty rough day. You need the sleep more than I do. And you know I can do a day or two without sleeping if I have to."

That was true. When Link entered the fearsome Forest Temple, it took him longer than a day to solve all the puzzles within and defeat the monsters lurking inside. And back in Termina, we always had to hurry because… well, it's complicated. Let's just say something big and heavy would fall on our heads if we wasted too much time on sleeping.

I still wanted to protest, but I was simply too tired to do so. My head slowly fell back on the straw and I muttered: „You really are the best friend a pony… could… ask for…"

I closed my eyes and the last thing I heard was Link's voice as he said: „Sleep well, my little pony."

* * *

Turns out my fears weren't justified. I didn't stay in Equestria. Actually, I didn't dream anything that night. I still felt very relaxed when I woke up in the morning, to the rooster's crow. A short glance to my left and I could see that Link was still peacefully snoring.

Well, not for much longer, if this mare had anything to say about it, I thought. I grabbed the sleeve of his tunic with my teeth and shook him. That was my favorite way of waking him up. And after only two shakes, his eyes flew open and he stuttered: „Wha… wha…? Huh? What? I'm awake, I'm awake…"

I let go of him and giggled. „Looks like I'm getting better at this. Last week I needed at least five shakes to wake you up."

He groaned. „You're enjoying this, aren't you? Can't a guy sleep a little longer in the morning?"

„Not a chance! You're always like this: Getting up late, missing half of the day. Well, not today, mister. This is a special day so you're getting your butt out of bed right now." And to emphasize, I pushed my head into his back.

„All right, all right, no need to be pushy. Sheesh. Why do I have the feeling that having a talking horse is going to be very difficult?"

I snorted. „Are you kidding? I'm glad I can finally tell you everything that's on my mind. Now that I can actually talk, maybe you'll start listening to me for a change, instead to that annoying glowbug Navi."

„Can we please not talk about Navi now?" Link sighed. „What's so special about today, anyway?"

„In case you forgot, I just found out I'm actually a pony from Equestria. And there's a lot I'd really like to know, such as: How did I get here? Why did I become a horse? Why did that blanket have that symbol? And is there a way for me to get back? And you are going to help me find the answers."

„A quest for the truth behind your past, huh? Well, it's not the first time we tried something unusual. But how do you suggest we start?"

„I would suggest by getting up and making breakfast. I'm hungry!" And again, I pushed against his back.

„Okay, okay, you win," he sighed as he finally got up to his feet. „What do you want for breakfast? Carrots?"

I grinned. „How did you know?"

Of course, Malon was already working on her daily chores by the time Link set foot outside of the barn. And while he went to wash his face and pack some things, Malon brought a basket with carrots she and I shared for breakfast. Let me tell you here just how much I love carrots. Sure, apples aren't bad either and my family back in Equestria was famous for their apple farms and plantations, but in my opinion nothing was better than a nice, crunchy, juicy carrot.

„Link and I are leaving today," I told her before taking a bite.

„Already?" I heard the disappointment in her voice. „Can't you stay for a little longer? Think of all the things we could discuss, now that you actually can talk."

„Some other time, maybe. Listen Malon, I'm really sorry. But this is something I need to do. I need to find out more about what happened to me."

„I know," she sighed. „I'm just worried, you know? What if… what if you find your way back to that other land and never come back?" She choked down a few tears, but I could see her distress. It bothered me to see this girl who always cared for me, who was basically my Hylian equivalent of a sister, in such a state of sadness, so I put my head in her lap to comfort her.

„Listen… whatever happens, I promise I won't be gone forever. You and Link are the only two people I ever cared about in Hyrule. Don't think for one moment I'm going to abandon you. I'll be back, I promise."

She sniffled a bit, but then forced herself to smile. „All right then… I want you to know that whatever you do, wherever you go, there's always a warm stable here to come back to." She gently petted my mane. „It's so strange. You're almost as small as you were as a filly, but I was a little girl myself back then."

„Ponies are smaller than horses, nothing strange about it."

She shook her head. „No, what I mean is that I always knew you as a horse, not a pony. I really need to get used to this."

„Well, once we're back, you'll have all the time to get used to it," I smiled up at her.

She gave me a hug around my neck. „Be careful out there. And take care of Link. He means as much to me as he means to you, you know?"

Of course I knew that Malon always had a bit of a crush on the ‚fairy-boy'. Still, she never told him about it since she felt uneasy because of the many other females in Link's life. „Aren't you going to tell him?" I asked her. „He has to know at some point."

„Yes, but I just need a bit more time. Admitting my feelings just like that isn't easy, you know?"

I thought back to when I first confessed my love to the stallion I married. It also took me some time to gather all my courage, but in the end, it was worth it. Maybe Link and Malon would one day have a family on their own.

When Link came back, his bag packed full with supplies such as Deku Nuts and Lon Lon Milk, I jumped to my hooves. „Ready to go?"

„Um, sure. But you still haven't told me where we're going."

„Use your brains, knucklehead. Where can we go to find information about magic and other worlds?"

As I said before, Link was a very smart guy. But sometimes, he needed a bit of time to figure things out. This time was not different. „The Hyrule Castle library?" he asked.

„Bingo!" I smirked. „I bet old Rauru has one or two books lying around that can tell us just what we need to know."

„And once we find out there is a way to Equestria?"

„One step after the other, big guy. We'll think about that when we're there. For now, it's off to Hyrule Castle!"

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, traveling across Hyrule Field is not too dangerous… if you remember to follow the following two rules. One: Only travel during the day! Make sure to be safe inside a town or village by the time the sun sets, or you'll be ambushed by Stalchildren. They are not that dangerous for a seasoned fighter, but they come in endless waves. And two: Make sure never to get close to those ominous, red bushes you might see growing across the plains. If you keep your distance, you're fine. But if you get to close, you might quickly notice that those bushes are in fact peahats… carnivorous plants who slice every living prey into tiny bits, using their blade-like propeller leaves.

Link and I have traveled these plains quite often and know about these rules. Therefore, our trip to Hyrule Castle was neither very long nor dangerous. It also helped that Lon Lon Ranch wasn't that far away from Castle Town's main gate.

Actually getting inside the castle, however, wasn't going to be that easy. To see Princess Zelda, or the sage Rauru, always meant that Link had to sneak into the castle via a hidden passage across the moat, which lead directly into the castle's courtyard. I've never really seen the inside of the castle before, so Link showed me the best way to sneak past the guards.

„I don't really get the point of this," I muttered. „Why this secrecy? Aren't you the noble hero who saved Hyrule from Ganon?"

„Remember, that only happened in the future," Link pointed out. „A future that I prevented from happening. And while you're right that Ganon isn't a threat anymore, the people really don't remember anything about his long reign of terror. Because it didn't happen. Do you understand?"

No. I didn't. Maybe it's because I'm a pony, but time travel always makes my head hurt. Whoever invented that concept should be bucked all the way to the top of Death Mountain.

* * *

Somewhere across time and space, a certain brown-coated stallion with a green tie felt the urge to sneeze.

„Bless you, Doctor!" the cross-eyed, grey pegasus mare said as she handed him a tissue.

„Thank you, Derpy. Boy, that certainly came out of nowhere. I wonder if someone is thinking about me at the moment. That's usually how these things work, right?"

Derpy Hooves shook her head and sighed. „Sometimes I don't understand you, Doctor."

* * *

Soon enough, Link and I reached the castle courtyard. Thankfully, no guard saw us sneak in. I know I would have never made it this far in my old form. Being small sure does have its advantages.

I took a moment to admire the surroundings. The courtyard sure was pretty and peaceful. „And what do we do now?" I asked.

„We wait," Link said. „Shouldn't take her too long to notice us. The window to her room is somewhere up there."

He was right. Not too long after we arrived, the princess appeared. She smiled happily when she saw Link. Told you he was popular with the ladies.

„Link!" she said. „It's always a pleasure to welcome you. And refreshing too… those princess duties can be so boring at times."

Link grinned. „Hey there, Zelda. Remember my horsey pal Epona?"

I bowed in front of her. I still had a certain sense of respect towards royalty. I would have done the same in the presence of Princess Celestia. Link could be excused for not following protocol. After all, he and the princess were friends. But me? I was just a regular farm horse… or pony. In either dimension, I considered meeting a princess a great honor.

„This is Epona?" Zelda asked as she looked down at me. „My, you really have a well-behaved companion, Link. But I must say, I always imagined her to be… taller."

„I wasn't always this small, your majesty," I said as I got back up to my hooves. Naturally, the princess seemed pretty surprised, but she did not show it as blatantly as Link and Malon had done.

„This is... certainly a surprise," she finally said. „I never heard of any equine with the capability of speech."

„It's a long story, Zelda," Link sighed. „To be honest, we're not completely sure ourselves how she became like this. We were hoping we could talk to Rauru. He knows a lot, so if there's someone who heard of talking ponies before, it must be him, right?"

„Oh, of course. A brilliant idea, Link. I'm sure he's at the library at the moment. Please, come on in."

We followed the princess inside. A bit worried, I kept turning my head for any signs of guards, but the only people we met were a couple of maids that respectfully lowered their heads before Princess Zelda as we walked past.

„Can't you get a permanent permission from the princess to enter the castle?" I asked Link. „I mean, she is your friend. And sneaking around through the back entrance every time must be pretty annoying."

„I wish it were that easy," Zelda said. „But unfortunately, the guards are acting on my father's orders. And he really doesn't want me to be seen with… commoners. I'm sorry, but he's old-fashioned that way."

„But Link here saved all of Hyrule!" I protested.

„True, but the only ones who remember are you, me, Link himself and his little fairy friend. That reminds me… whatever happened on your search, Link? Did you find Navi?"

Both Link and I grimaced when that topic was brought up. Link had never talked to anyone about his adventure in Termina beside Malon. And I would have preferred if the princess hadn't mentioned that stuck-up, annoying, pesky little…

Sorry. You must have noticed by now that I don't like Navi very much. Even thinking of her makes me mad. I'll tell you the reasons later. Maybe.

„It's… a long story, princess," Link just said. Zelda simply nodded and didn't press the matter.

We then reached the library, I was astonished. I remember we used to have a library in my hometown back in Equestria, but I'm sure it wasn't this big. I've never seen this many books in my entire life… neither of them. Somewhere behind the many, many bookcases, we heard muffled mumbling and the rustling of old pages.

„Rauru? Are you there? We have visitors. Link is here, and he brought a friend." Zelda shouted.

„Can't he come back another day?" came a gruff, deep voice from the back of the room. „I'm extremely busy with my research regarding Hylian genealogy. Some of these old theories are truly fascinating. Have you known that the Kokiri are descendant of a race of plant-like creatures?"

„This is going to take a while," Link groaned. „When Rauru is obsessed with something, it's very difficult to pry him away from his books."

„You don't say!" I said in a sarcastic voice. „I never would have figured. Plant creatures are more fascinating than a talking pony with the Triforce on her flank?"

Immediately, the rustling and mumbling stopped. For a moment, there was silence. Then, in a matter of seconds, an old and for his speed surprisingly stout man came running around the corner. I'm sure his sandals left skid marks on the floor when he came to a stop in front of us.

He huffed and puffed a bit, then he took a deep breath and asked: „Did you say… pony? With a… mark on her flank? Maybe a… cutie mark?"

My eyes widened. „How do you know that?"

I'm pretty sure this was the first time he took a clear look at me, the way he stared and gasped for air. „In… incredible! Ha… haha! A pony! A real, live pony, standing right here, in my own library! Haha! What a day! What a joyful day!"

Link of Zelda exchanged confused glances. I didn't really know what to say either. Sure, I could talk… but was having a pony in your library really a reason to freak out like that?

But Rauru didn't give me a chance to speak, he blurted out: „This is sensational! For the longest time, I've been ridiculed by the public. I've been laughed at by my colleagues. And now… now, for the first time, all of my theories are proven to be correct. Haha! The old writings were right about everything. By Din's blazing flames, this is a glorius day. The ancient, legendary kingdom of Equestria truly exists!"

I froze. „You… know about Equestria?"

„Oh yes, I know. I know everything, I read everything. About the princesses, the three tribes, their unusual kind of magic…" He suddenly knelt down in front of me, staring directly into my eyes. „Oh, what an honor! I can't tell you just how much of an honor it is for me too meet a resident of Equestria. Welcome to Hyrule, honored guest! Welcome!"

For a moment, everyone kept quiet.

Then Link said: „Well, looks like he likes you, Epona. But don't expect me to kneel in front of you as well."


	3. A Fairy and a Breezie

Let me tell you that I had no idea how to react for a moment when Rauru knelt down in front of me. Deciding to ignore that part for now, I asked him: „How do you know all this?"

„Oh, I've been reading," he said while getting up. „I studied all the books in this library, and tried memorizing every little detail. Knowledge is power, little pony. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Now, many scholars believe a lot of what I read about Equestria to be nothing but fairy tales, since for the longest time, there had been no real proof that our two kingdoms had connections before. That is, until now."

„You're talking about Epona, aren't you?" Zelda asked the wise man.

Rauru nodded. „Indeed. This might be the very first contact between a resident of Hyrule and a resident of Equestria. I am so excited!"

„Sorry to disappoint you, but the first person who made ‚contact' with me would be Link," I said, pointing a hoof at my green-clothed companion.

„Hmm, of course. Of course. I didn't mean to take away your moment of glory, my boy." He patted Link's shoulder with a fatherly smile. „Be proud, Link. You can be the first ambassador of Hyrule. You will make our country very proud when we send you to Equestria, I am sure of that."

Link scratched the back of his head. „Well, it's not like I asked for this. Epona's just my friend, even before I found out she's a… wait a minute. What did you just say?"

„To Equestria?" Zelda asked, her voice filled with astonishment. „Are you serious?"

„Of course!" Rauru said with a hearty laugh. „After all, we can't send this little pony back home without a proper escort. That would be impolite, don't you think?"

„Excuse me, but… I don't really know how to get back to Equestria. I'm not even sure how I got here in the first place," I spoke up.

„You don't know?" The sage stroked his beard. „Now that's puzzling indeed. But worry not, my friends. I have the perfect solution. Wait just a moment, and I'll have a spell ready that will summon a guide who can take us to any faraway land, as long as we know about its existance." And he started rummaging through a stack of old books.

I was very puzzled by this turn of events. „What are you talking about? What guide?"

„A fairy, of course. Fairies are the embodiment of magic, flitting on the arcane streams, fluttering back and forth between worlds. Exchanging information through the borders and guiding those who are destined for greatness. That's why they are so great companions for the Kokiri, who never grow old. And the lost woods are rich with ancient magic, an ideal place for them to flourish."

„Hold on… you're saying that fairies can travel between worlds just like that?" Link asked.

„Well, of course not just like that. The procedure is a bit complicated and requires a special amount of magic on the fairy's part. Magic that will only be activated by a certain factor that differs from realm to realm. In Equestria, this factor is a breeze caused by pegasus wings. Here in Hyrule, it is done with an ancient melody. Fortunate for us, I happen to know the exact notes that need to be played. It's here in this book…" Rauru took a heavy and very dusty tome out of the bookpile and started thumbing through. „I'm sure it's here somewhere… aha! There it is! The Ballad of the Breezies!"

Link looked into the book in confusion. „What's a Breezie?"

„Oh, they are a type of fairy. Not that common in Hyrule, I admit. From what I understand, they pass through Equestria on their travels. But this song can be used to summon any kind of fairy. And if she feels generous, she will guide the musician through the corridors between the realms. Now you take a good look at these notes, boy. And princess… if I may?"

„What? Oh, the ocarina. Certainly!" The princess handed Rauru the fabled Ocarina of Time, who passed it on to Link.

Link took it and studied the musical notes carefully. After having learned this many magical tunes for the ocarina, remembering one more was no problem at all. „So let me get this straight," he then said. „This song is supposed to summon a fairy who can bring me and Epona to Equestria, right?"

„That's what I've been telling you this whole time, my boy," Rauru said.

Link knelt down next to me and looked into my eyes. „What do you say?" he smiled. „Ready to show me that world you came from?"

To tell you the truth, I was hesitant. After all this time, I would be allowed to go back home. How much time has passed since I've been there, I wondered. Would they even remember me? What if I couldn't go back to Hyrule after we arrived? What if I didn't want to go back?

Then again, I had Link at my side. And he was willing to through all of this with me, at my side. So that certainly gave me enough courage to gather myself and say: „Let's do it!"

Link's confident smile turned into a cocky grin as he raised the ocarina to his lips and started playing a very solemn-sounding tune. I held my breath… every moment now, a fairy would appear. A fairy who would take me home…

When the last note faded, a shimmering circle appeared in the wall directly next to us. It slowly started to expand and grow, revealing a glowing light behind, a blue-glowing ball with fluttering fairy wings…

Oh heck no…

„You who summoned me, listen! Fairy Navi is here to serve as your guide between worlds!" the little glowworm shouted.

If Link had smiled before, now his face seemed to be split into two halves when he opened his mouth. „NAVI!" he shouted in a voice filled with too much joy for my taste. „It's you. It's really you."

„Link?" Navi seemed to be as surprised as he was. „Is that you? Since when do you know the Ballad of the Breezies?"

„I missed you so much… where have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere. Right, Epona?"

„Yeah… sure…" I muttered with no real enthusiasm.

Navi looked down at me. „Epona? Since when is she so small?"

„Epona's a pony now," Link explained. „And she's actually from another world called Equestria. Isn't that neat? But enough of that, where in the world did you disappear to after we beat Ganon?"

„I went home," Navi explained as if that was the most obvious answer. „I mean… no need for you to have a guardian fairy after the job was done, right?" I could tell she was not telling the whole truth, the way she was fidgeting around. But I really couldn't care less about her reasons.

„That's everything?" I shouted. „You thought the job was done and you ditched us. Is that correct? Good. Nice of you to finally share that piece of information with us. Now can you finally take us to Equestria so I don't have to look at your annoying blue face anymore?" I snorted angrily and turned away from her. Of all the fairies we could have as a guide, we had to get her. Just my luck.

„What's the matter with her?" I heard her whispering to Link. Figures she wouldn't know that horses have good ears.

„I don't know what made her so upset," Link whispered back. „I guess we should just get ready to leave. Are you okay with that?"

„Sure. Taking my two best buddies to Equestria should be no problem at all," she said. Again, I snorted.

„Link? Epona?" Together, we looked over to the princess as she addressed the both of us. She smiled. „Excuse me if I haven't said a lot. Rauru is right, all of this is very exciting. It will be the first time in years Hyrule will have contact with a new kingdom. I know father will be very skeptical once I talk to him about this, so… could you two do me a favor? When you go to Equestria, could you ask the regent if she is interesting in forming permanent political ties?"

„Well, I'm sure that's a nice idea and all, but how would that work? We can't use the fairy realm as a transitway every time someone wants to cross the borders," Link said.

„I know Princess Celestia would be delighted, but unless we find another way to cross the borders, I have to agree with Link," I added.

The princess nodded. „I know. But I would still ask you to address her. Wait, let me quickly write an official invitation to form an alliance between our two kingdoms. If she writes back, at least I have something to convince my father that this is more than a fairy tale."

Link shrugged. „Sure, why not."

The princess then quickly wrote her letter, and while Link and Navi used that time to reminisce about old times, I made sure not to look at the fairy too often.

Zelda then walked up to me, an envelope in her hands. „Here. Please give this to Princess Celestia. You, as the only one who lived in both worlds, are most fitted for the position as ambassador."

„You're giving such an important title to me, a creature you believed to be nothing more than a common farm animal?" I asked in bewilderment.

„Don't be silly," she smiled. „Link told me so much about you, and from what I heard I could tell that there was more about you than just a regular horse. If anything, see this as a gift to you, a compensation for being treated as a beast of burden for all these years. Do you accept?"

Since I never met Princess Zeda before, I never really knew what to think of her up to this point. All I could gather from Link's tales was that she was a fair and kind-hearted woman. But now that she offered me such a proposition, I realized just how kind-hearted she truly was. „Thank you, princess," I said as I accepted the letter. „I won't let you down."

„Now, are you ready to go?" Navi asked. I gritted my teeth. Leave it to her to ruin a perfect moment by reminding me of her presence. But since she was my only ticket back to Equestria, I decided to accept my fate. Hooray…

„Al right, I wish all of you the best of luck on your journey," Zelda said. „And may the wisdom of Nayru protect you."

„Take care now, youngsters!" Rauru added. „And be sure to bring me some literature from Equestria when you return. I have so much research to do…"

„Goodbye," Link waved. „See you soon. You girls ready?"

I nodded. „Ready."

„I'll open the gateway," Navi said. She faced the wall with the portal and flew a complex pattern in front of it. Once again, the glowing circle started growing, until it was big enough for a grown Hylian and an earth pony to step through. We waved one last time… then we stepped through.

We found ourselves in a dark tunnel. Behind us, the gate between worlds slowly shrunk smaller and smaller. On the other end of the tunnel, there was a bright light.

„Follow me," Navi said as she flew ahead. „This is one of the many tunnels that lead directly into the land of the fae… that is what all fairies, Breezies and others like us call themselves. Not far from here is Breezie Village, from where the Breezies set out for Equestria."

„Will they mind us going through?" I asked. „I mean, if they are as small as fairies… I don't want to trample them."

„They tend to treat strangers with suspicion," Navi admitted. „But I'm sure they will leave us in peace once I tell them we mean them no harm. I have a friend there, I'm sure he will calm the others down."

We soon left the tunnel and found ourselves in a beautiful forest glade. Wafts of mist hung in the air, giving everything a mysterious atmosphere.

„Say… would it help if I looked like a pony, too?" Link suddenly asked and pulled a mask out of his bag. „I still have this from when I cured Epona."

I blinked. Why didn't I think of this sooner? Of course Link would have a mask after playing the Song of Healing. And it would certainly help him blend in once we're in Equestria.

„Are you sure?" I asked. „You've never turned into anything with four legs before."

„Hey, I've been a Deku, a Goron, a Zora and a giant. How much weirder can it be?" he snickered, then raised the mask up to his face.

„Now wait a moment," I shouted. „If that mask is anything like the others, it will probably…"

„AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" he screamed as his face and body were twisted into that of an equine.

„…hurt like hell," I sighed.

„Oh my gosh, Link!" Navi gasped. „Are you all right?"

„Calm your antennae, it's not as bad as it looks," I snorted. „As I said, it just hurts like hell. He has done this before. A lot, actually."

„You two must have had the most interesting adventures while I was gone…" Navi muttered.

„Ow…" Link grunted as he shook his head. „Serves me right for forgetting such a crucial part…" He then took a moment to examine his new form.

I had to admit, he was pretty handsome for a stallion. He had a light brown coat and his mane was just as blonde as his hair. His clothes had adapted to his four-legged body (except for his boots which simply vanished) and his backpack had turned into a saddlebag. I half-expected his cutie mark to be the same as mine, but when I took a look I saw that it showed the Master Sword instead.

„Hey, looking great," I smirked and gently nudged him with my hoof. „If I wasn't already married I certainly would fall for you, fairy-boy… um… forget I said that…" I blushed.

Navi giggled, but then looked at me. „Married? You are married?"

„Wh-why do you care?" I snapped. „You didn't care what became of us either when you left, did you? Why are you suddenly interested?"

„I… I just wanted… I didn't mean to…" she stammered. Sure, try to find an excuse, glowbug. That won't change a thing.

Link coughed. „So, Navi… about that Breezie Village… is it far from here?"

„No, no, it isn't," she said. Just across that stream, and we're there."

„Okay, then let's get going," I said as I jumped over the water. I couldn't wait to get back home.

„Hey, wait for me!" Link said as he leapt after me… or at least tried to. I heard the loud splash when he fell in the water and turned my head. „Dangit Link, we don't have time for such nonsense."

„Nonsense?" Link grumbled as he shook his wet mane. „You try walking or jumping with more legs than you were born with. How do you do it? I keep getting confused which leg to use next."

„Try not to think about it, it'll come natural in time." I pulled him back onto solid ground and he shook himself dry. Together, we then entered Breezie Village. That is, we took one step and stood right in its middle. I really had to be careful not to step on a house with my hooves.

The Breezies came out of their homes, chattering to each other with excitement and worry. This was the first time I ever saw these tiny, delicate creatures. Even back in Equestria, they were an extremely rare sight. They looked pretty much like pony versions of Hyrule fairies, only that their wings were even bigger and more colorful. On the other hand, the light their bodies emitted wasn't as bright as that of a fairy, so it was easier to see their bodies.

A blue Breezie flew up to Navi and started jabbering in a strange language. Navi replied in that same language. I didn't understand a word. „What's he saying?" I asked. Link just shrugged.

Navi turned to face us. „Sorry, we were talking in the ancient language of the fae. I told Seabreeze that he can speak Equestrian, it's basically the same as Hylian. I also told him that we're only passing through."

„So the lot of you want to go to Equestria?" Seabreeze said as he eyed us. I was able to understand him this time, even if he was talking in a very thick accent. „As long as you just keep walking, I don't really see any reason not to allow it. Just go on, go, go! The portal is over there."

„Wow, you certainly are in a hurry to get rid of us," Link frowned.

„Can you blame me? This is supposed to be our safe haven," Seabreeze said. „Every time we go to Equestria, we are in danger of being blown away by a gust of wind, crushed by acorns, eaten by all the giant animals or sent spinning by a leaf." He muttered something I couldn't quite understand, something about a clumsy dragon? Maybe I misheard that.

„Don't worry, we're going. Thank you for understanding," Navi said and quickly led us out of Breezie Village. Just seconds later, we were standing in front of another tunnel. „Okay, this is the entrance to Equestria. You guys ready?"

I just nodded and followed her. Link stayed at my side the whole time. We followed the tunnel until we found the gate to Equestria on the other end. Navi fluttered another complex pattern in front of it and the glowing circle grew big enough for us to trot through.

I took a deep breath before taking the step. I closed my eyes… then I was through.

„Epona? Is this it? Is this Equestria?" Link asked.

I opened my eyes… and gasped.

I saw the plowed fields, the beautiful apple trees and most importantly, the barn. The oh-so-familiar barn I thought I would never see again. Emotions I thought I had lost years ago started to well up in me and tears started streaming down my face.

The memories came back, with an even greater clarity and intensity than before. Memories of my brave and caring husband, my strong and silent son, my honest and hard-working older daughter and my newborn baby daughter…

This was Sweet Apple Acres. This was Ponyville. This was Equestria.

I was home.


	4. A Mother's Love

Let me tell you about Ponyville.

That little town wasn't the place where I was born. That would be bustling Manehattan. But I always felt I didn't belong there, even as a filly. I was a country pony at heart, which I discovered once I got my cutie mark… the first cutie mark I had, before coming to Hyrule. And after meeting the love of my life, we quickly moved to Ponyville and lived on the farm he inherited from his parents. And I stayed there for the rest of my life. Well, my life in Equestria.

Ponyville was a community full of friendly, helpful ponies. Earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi alike lived there as friends and neighbors. It was a much better life than in Manehattan, where you always had to prove your worth to others. And Sweet Apple Acres was, well… the core of it, if you pardon the pun. The Apple family represented everything I always missed in the big city. Honesty, tolerance and helpfulness, the pride you feel after a day of hard work. And when my darling first told me the story how his mother and her family founded the town back in the days, I could see that the whole town was practically built on these virtues.

So yes, Ponyville was my home. And it will always be. And now that I was finally back in Equestria and saw the familiar landscape, the buildings and the orchard… all of my memories of my previous life came back to me. Up to now, it had all been nothing but that: Memories, hidden away in the back of my head. Sure, I realized that this dream was the truth after turning back into a pony, but as long as I stayed back in Hyrule, it was still foggy and hazy. Now everything was crystal clear.

I almost didn't notice how Link was staring at me with worry. „Epona, are you all right?"

„I remember now," I muttered. I pointed my hoof at a wooden cart standing in front of the barn. „That cart… my honey and I used it when we went for a picnic at the old watering hole. But the wheel was broken and he had to fix it first. And over here…" I ran to one of the nearby apple trees. „We scratched our names into the trunk of this tree." Tears came to my eyes when I put my hoof on the old carving. It was still visible after all these years.

Both Link and Navi stayed silent for a moment while I was standing in front of the tree, eyes closed. I realized they were giving me some time to gather myself. It was a lot to take in, I admit. I was very confused at the moment. My feelings were scrambled and my head was unable to take everything in.

But that was just the beginning. Suddenly, I heard this voice behind me. The sweetest, cheerful little filly voice I ever heard in my life. „Howdy there!"

I slowly turned my head… and froze. That small, yellow body… that red mane, bound by the most adorable bow… and those eyes. Those big, lovable eyes…

* * *

I cried with joy as I held the little bundle in my forelegs. „It's a girl! Honey, it's a little baby girl. Applejack has a little sister." I've given birth to two foals already in my life, but the joy I felt whenever I held one of my own children for the first time was incomparable with anything else.

My husband stepped at my side and glanced down at me and the little foal with a loving expression. „She has your eyes. What do you want to call her, dear?"

I smiled. „Apple Bloom!"

* * *

The filly kept smiling at me. „I haven't seen you on the farm before. Have you come to buy some apples?"

I couldn't blame her for not recognizing me. She was just a baby when I last saw her and now she had to be at last ten years old. I wonder how she did at school. Did she get good grades? And did she make any friends? Seeing my sweet little Apple Bloom like this made me realize how much I had missed while I was gone.

She tilted her head. „Um, miss? Hello? Are you alright?"

„I… I'm fine," I forced myself to say. I was still in a daze. What do you say to your daughter who you haven't seen in ten years?

I must have looked like a fool, but thankfully Link jumped in. „We, um… we're new here. We're from a different town and don't know our way around this one. So, we stumbled here by accident…"

„Oh, you're new?" Apple Bloom asked. „Then watch out for Pinkie Pie once you walk into town. She's gonna freak out once she realizes she has to throw another party." She giggled in the most adorable way. „But since you're already here, why not try one of our apples? I'm tellin ya, they're delicious and nutritious."

„Apple Bloom!" came a stern voice from the barn. „Didn't your sister tell you to leave the sales to her and Big Mac?"

I winced inwardly when I saw her walking up to us. My mother-in-law, the undoubted matriarch of the whole Apple family. I did everything I could to stop me from freaking out. If anypony recognized me, it had to be her. Now don't get me wrong, I loved old Granny Smith like my own mother… but I knew I didn't want my family to know I was back. Not yet, at least.

„But Granny!" Apple Bloom protested. „I still think I have a chance to get an apple selling cutie mark." My gaze wandered over to her little flank, and sure thing, it was blank. My sweetie had yet to get her cutie mark. That thought made me feel a little giddy on the inside. Maybe I could help her find her special talent, like all good mothers should.

„We talk about that later, filly. Now, you get going. Your little friends are waitin for you at Sugarcube Corner, aren't they?"

„Yer right, I almost forgot. Bye!" the filly shouted as she ran off.

Granny Smith smiled. „Please excuse her. That little one is so bent on getting her cutie mark that she's willing to try about anything. Now then, what can an old mare like me do for a couple of young'uns like you?" She then eyed Navi curiously. „Why, is that a Breezie you got with you?"

„Something like that, ma'am," Navi chuckled. „My name is Navi, and these are my friends Link and…"

„Romani!" I blurted out. It was the first name that crossed my mind. „My name's Romani. And we are here because, umm…"

„Because you lost your way and stumbled across Sweet Apple Acres, I got that much when I heard you talking to my granddaughter." She chuckled. „I might be getting old, but these ears are still working just fine. Your name is Romani, is it? Have we met before? You look mighty familiar. Have you ever been to one of the Apple family reunions?"

„No!" I lied. „Never!"

„Really? Oh well, maybe it's because your coat reminded me of cousin Apple Cobbler. Anyways, you have to go down that road to reach Ponyville's town square. I'm sure you'll find your way from there."

„Thanks a lot for your help," Link said.

„Ah, don't mention it. Have a nice day now, y'all. I would invite you inside for a mug of cider, but my two older grandchildren aren't home at the moment and it's a real mess in there."

„Maybe some other time," Link said. „Ep… I mean, Romani? Are you coming?"

With a deep longing in my heart, I took another good look at the house that was my home. How I wished to just walk in there and help Granny with all the chores… but I couldn't do it. Not yet. „Yeah, I'm coming," I said. Together, we walked down the road to Ponyville, past all the majestic apple trees.

„Why didn't you tell her your real name?" Link asked. „Isn't that what you wished for? To see your family again?"

„You're right, but… I can't. Not now. I wanted to tell my mother-in-law the truth, I wanted to run up to my little daughter and give her a hug, but then I thought: I was gone all these years. How will they react when they find out I'm back? What if they reject me? They seem to be capable of taking care of the farm by themselves."

„I'm sure they will be happy to see you."

„Maybe… but I still can't do it right now, Link. I need some time."

„So… that was your family?" Navi asked. „Do you want to tell us more about them?"

I felt a surge of anger. Being in the fairy's presence had annoyed me all day long and now I had enough. „Why do you want to know? Why do you even care?" I shouted. „You left us alone and we had to search for you all that time. And never did we hear anything! Why did you decide it was best to leave us right after the job was done?"

Navi was taken aback by my sudden outburst. Link seemed to be just as surprised, but I didn't care. I glared at Navi and kept yelling: „Did it ever cross your mind that we would miss you? We saved Hyrule together. We faced all sorts of dangers together. And then you thought you could just say ‚Oh, that was it? Fine, I guess that means I'll be going now, bye.'? Is that it?"

„Epona…" Link said. „I had no idea. You… you missed her as well?"

„I… I didn't want to… I thought you…" Navi muttered.

„Well, you thought wrong!" I shouted. „Did you honestly think Link was the only one who missed you, Navi? Did you really think the three of us could go on a journey together without creating a bond? Did that thought ever cross your little fairy mind? Or did you think I wasn't important because I was just the dumb horse that always waited outside the dungeons?"

That was it. I couldn't hold it back any longer. All those years I missed her, all the times I was hoping she'd be all right, and the frustration I felt when I heard she was sitting safe at home. Yes, I admit it: Link wasn't the only one I grew close to during our adventure. True, when I first met Navi I thought she'd be very annoying. But I quickly learned that the little blue fairy had a charming personality that kept me entertained and happy on our travels. Whenever we rode across the plains, she'd sit in-between my ears and laugh. Whenever we took a break, she'd struggle to pick up those long juicy carrots I loved so much and carry them up to my mouth. At night she'd either sleep in Link's hat or snuggle within my mane. Yes, Navi is my second-best friend. And I missed her horribly when she left after the journey was over.

„Epona, please calm down," Link told me softly. „I'm sure Navi had a very good reason."

„Oh, did she?" I snorted. „Well, I also have my reasons. And my reason to be angry is flying right there!" I pointed my hoof at Navi.

„P-please let me explain, Epona," Navi sniffled. I saw tears in the corners of her eyes, but I was just too angry at her at that point.

„I just don't care anymore!" I yelled. „You want to leave us alone? Fine! Then leave! I don't need you anymore!"

Navi broke down into sobbing as she turned around and flew away. I didn't know in what direction, I just didn't care at the moment.

Link stared at me. „Epona…"

„C'mon, let's get going," I grumbled as I walked towards Ponyville. „We don't need her."

„If you want to go ahead, fine. But I'll go looking for her." And he ran after her.

I didn't know what to think at the moment. I thought Link would understand. After all, Navi abandoned him as well. But then, Link had never been one to hold a grudge. As for me… well, that had to be the old Apple family stubbornness. I know I wasn't ready to forgive Navi that easily.

For now, I wanted to concentrate on the good things. I was back in Ponyville. I had reasons to be happy.

I didn't feel a lot of happiness.

I saw multiple ponies walking past me, but none of them looked familiar. Ponyville probably had received a lot of new residents over the years I was gone. That grey pegasus with the mailbag for example. Or the white unicorn with the unique glasses and the over-the-top hairstyle… if she was my daughter, I certainly wouldn't allow her to walk around like that.

Most of the buildings were still the same. Town Hall, the library and the schoolhouse… but there were also a couple new stores that must have opened during my absence. I saw what looked like a spa, and a strange building looking like a gingerbread house. Was that some sort of confectionary? Intrigued, I approached it.

Before reaching the front door, I ran into a small group of school-age ponies, and among them was my little Apple Bloom. My heart did a little jump when I saw her again. I was about to steer clear of them, but then I heard what they were talking about.

„Still wearing that same silly old bow?" a pink filly with a tiara said mockingly. „That thing is sooo out of date."

„Yeah," the grey filly with the glasses added. „Can't your family afford new accessories that are more, I dunno, in fashion?"

„Hey!" Apple Bloom protested. „That bow was given to me by my big sister, so lay off."

„Yeah, you don't see us making fun of that tiara you're wearing all the time," said another filly, the cutest unicorn I've ever seen. Probably one of Apple Bloom's friends?

„By the way," the orange pegasus filly next to her added. „That tiara does look pretty stupid."

„Hah! You're just jealous my daddy buys me everything. I just have to ask him. That bow doesn't even look like it's clean," the pink filly continued.

„But it is clean!" Apple Bloom shouted. „I'll have you know that I always get a new, clean bow out of the hats-and-bows-closet as soon as my current one is dirty."

That didn't help her case very much, as the two bullies broke out into laughter.

„A hats-and-bows-closet? Honestly? Wow, no wonder your sister always wears that dusty old hat. You must have so many old things in that barn you call a house… don't you ever buy anything new?" the grey filly chuckled.

„Maybe she can ask her parents to buy her something. Oh wait, I forgot: She doesn't have any!" the pink one laughed.

Something in my heart broke when I saw the tears in my little filly's eyes. If you ever had children, you know there are some things that are never, ever said in the presence of any good mother.

Faster than Link could ever be with the bunny hood in his head, I ran up to the pink little bully and gave her a good slap that made her stumble and fall back on her bum.

„OW!" she cried. „Wh-what the…? Hey! What do you think you're doing, lady?" She held her swollen cheek. „I'm going to tell my daddy!"

„Good!" I shouted. „I would like to have a word with the father of such a spoiled little brat like yourself. And make sure to tell him how you ridiculed another filly for her parents or lack thereof."

With the help of her friend, the grey bully got back to her feet. „Just you wait. My daddy is Filthy Rich, and he's one of the most important ponies in town."

Filthy Rich, I thought to myself. I should have figured. Back in school, I always despised that rich little snot. His family always thought of themselves as better as the common Ponyville resident, just because they were the owners of Rich's Barnyard Bargains, the biggest store in town. Way too often they forgot which family was the one who founded Ponyville.

„Come on, Diamond Tiara. Let's get out of here," her grey friend muttered. Her pink friend nodded and they ran off. But Diamond Tiara turned her head one last time and yelled: „And don't you three blank flanks think this is over!"

Great, a school-age cutie mark supremacist. Filthy sure knew how to raise his kid.

„Are the three of you okay?" I asked. I spoke to all three children, but my eyes were solely on the bow-wearing yellow filly in front of me.

„Y-yes. Ah'm fine," Apple Bloom sniffled. She quickly wiped away her tears. „Thanks for helping me out there, miss…"

„Just call me Romani," I smiled.

„Okay, Miss Romani. Hey, I remember you. You were the one who visited Sweet Apple Acres with her friend."

„Your name is Apple Bloom, correct? I was happy I was able to help. That little brat had it coming. Are these your friends?"

Apple Bloom nodded. „Yeah, this is Sweetie Belle…" she pointed at the unicorn. „And that's Scootaloo." She gestured at the pegasus, who I noticed had unusually small wings for her age.

„Wow, that sure was awesome the way you slapped that little pest Diamond Tiara!" Scootaloo shouted with excitement as she flew around me. It was more of a hover, actually.

„Thanks, kid. But remember that violence is not always the solution," I chuckled.

„Still, you're a cool lady, Miss Romani!" Scootaloo said.

„And what about Rainbow Dash?" Sweetie Belle asked.

„What about her? She's still cooler. I'm sure Rainbow Dash would have done the same thing." Whoever that ‚Rainbow Dash' was, the little filly sure seemed to hold her in high regards.

„Hey, I know!" Apple Bloom suddenly said. „Why don't we all get some cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner? Our treat. Because you helped us with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon." And she gestured towards the entrance of the gingerbread house.

So I was right. It was a confectionary. I was about to refuse, but then my stomach rumbled, reminding me that it was nearly lunchtime. And Link was the one with all the rupees in his wallet.

So I said: „I gladly accept your invitation, girls."


	5. The Hero and the Fashionista

Navi was quite agitated after hearing Epona's angry rant. With teary eyes, the little fairy flew straight ahead, as fast as her wings could carry her. As she didn't really pay any attention where she was going, she didn't see the object in her flight path until she collided with it.

"Ack!" a voice shouted. "There's something bright and shiny stuck on my horn. Bon Bon, quick! Get rid of it."

Confused and disoriented, Navi clung to the object which turned out to be the horn of a mint-colored unicorn pony. The unicorn shook her head violently, which disoriented the fairy even more and on top of that, made her feel dizzy and sick.

The earth pony mare standing next to the unicorn shook her hoof in Navi's direction. "Shoo! Get away from her, you stupid… thing. Lyra, it won't let go. Ugh, looks like some sort of glowing parasprite."

"A parasprite?" Lyra gasped. "Damn you greedy little buzzers… I won't let you eat my delicious cake this time. Feel the wrath of Lyra Heartstrings!"

"No, wait!" Navi shouted, but it was too late. One single, powerful blast of telekinetic energy from the unicorn's horn sent her flying in a wide arch over Ponyville's rooftops.

"It's gone," Lyra sighed. "Finally!"

Blinking, Bon Bon looked in the direction where the flying creature had disappeared. "Is it me or did that parasprite just talk?"

"Looked very strange for a parasprite," Lyra said. "Those appendages on her limbs… wait a minute…" Her eyes widened. "Were those… HANDS?"

Bon Bon facehoofed. "Here we go again…" she muttered.

* * *

'This day can't get any worse,' Navi thought to herself as she was flung through the air via Unicorn Magic Express. Fortunately, her flight was stopped by something big, soft and furry.

"That was close," she sighed. "How fortunate this thing was here to catch me… whatever it is." She looked up… and looked into the face of a gigantic bear. A bear whose stomach she was lying on.

"Me and my big mouth…" she whimpered. "Oh no! Where's Link when you need him? EEEEEEK!" She curled up in a tiny ball when the bear's massive maw came down on her.

But then she heard a very soft voice speaking: "Oh my. What is that you've got there, boy? Please, don't startle it. Whatever it is, the poor thing looks deathly afraid." Navi then felt herself being engulfed in the gentlest embrace she ever felt. When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but curtains of yellow feathers, all around her. A pair of beautiful wings had scooped her up and carefully placed her on top of a small stool.

The yellow pegasus mare pulled back her wings and smiled down at the fairy. "There you go. Nothing to be afraid of, little one. Harry didn't mean to scare you. He's the friendliest bear you can find."

Navi took a deep breath. "Th… thank you. I thought that would be the end of me."

The pegasus let out a surprised gasp. "Y-you can talk? Oh, that's wonderful. I've never seen any creature like you before, what are you? Oh, pardon me… my name is Fluttershy. What's your name?"

"I'm Navi… I'm a fairy." Navi started to relax. The sweet and innocent behavior of the pony helped immensely to calm her nerves.

"A fairy? I've heard of many different creatures before, but never fairies," Fluttershy said. "Are you related to the Breezies?"

"Kind of," Navi nodded. "We live in the same world."

"How fascinating!" Fluttershy gushed. "I have a Breezy friend called Seabreeze. I'm sure the two of you would be the best of friends."

"Seabreeze?" Navi asked in surprise. "But he already is my friend. You know him?"

"Oh yes," Fluttershy nodded. "I met him and the other Breezies when they were passing through Ponyville on their way back to their home. But why don't you come inside? I've made some tea for my little animal friends and myself. Would you like to join us?"

* * *

"Excuse me, have you seen my friend?" Link asked. "She's blue, has dragonfly wings and glows all the time."

"Does she also have HANDS?" Lyra asked.

Link grimaced. That unicorn's grin was… unsettling. "Um, I better keep searching. Bye…" And he left.

Bon Bon sighed. "That is the third stallion you managed to scare off this week, Lyra. At this rate, neither of us is going to find a date anytime soon. You know ponies are starting to think we're filly-foolers, don't you?"

Meanwhile, Link realized he was slowly getting used to his new body. Running on four legs wasn't as complicated as he thought it would be. Just like when he had turned into a Deku, Goron or Zora for the first time, his body seemed to know what it was doing. As if the magic in the mask also gave him all the instincts that were natural to that race.

Being in a village full of creatures he never met before was also no problem. His biggest adventure had begun after he left the Kokiri village for the first time as a child. And during his journey, he had visited all kinds of different settlements inhabited by other races. That they they walked on all fours and were as colorful as a rainbow made these ponies no different. By now, the Hero of Time was used to all sorts of strangeness in his life.

Several minutes later, he decided to give up on his search for Navi for the time being. He didn't have a single clue where she could have disappeared to. On top of that, he didn't know where Epona went either. So he did what he did every time he entered a new village: Go sightseeing and talk to everybody! And as it turned out, the local ponies had a lot to say:

"Are you new in Ponyville? Make sure to visit our library some time."

"Rainbow Dash is our local weathermare, but she's soooo lazy. I wonder how she gets her job done when she sleeps half the time."

"Thank Celestia you didn't visit our little town last week, stranger. It was so awful. All those black, horrible thorns everywhere… the horror! The horror!"

"…do I know you?"

About half an hour later, Link was much more informed about Ponyville than before. Eeyup, talking to villagers always helped to be up to date.

What was next on his to-do list? Visiting all the different shops, of course. And since he was standing right in front of what looked like some sort of shop, he decided to start there.

A small bell jingled when he opened the door.

"Coming!" a melodic voice chanted. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique and magnifique." The proprietor, a charming white unicorn, approached him with a smile. "I am Rarity. How can I help y… WAHAHAAAAHA!"

Link winced when the mare suddenly started running around, looking at him from every possible angle. "Sorry, but… what are you doing?" he asked.

"My stars!" she gasped. "Darling, where DID you get an outfit like that? The design… so simple, yet so dashing! I seldomly see a stallion wear a lot of things outside of formal attire, but this is such a brilliant design. Yet you wear it so naturally."

Link looked down. "You mean… my tunic?"

She nodded. "Oh yes! It makes you look so bold, so adventurous… almost like a courageous hero on an epic journey. Clothes make the stallion, as the old saying goes, and it's certainly true in your case. And that green nicely emphasizes your mane." She then wrinkled her nose. "But I must say, the hat seems a little… silly. I would advise you to go without it."

Now it was Link's time to frown. "But I like my hat."

"Are you sure? I mean, it's up to you, of course. But have you tried wearing a nice headband? Or maybe a hood?"

He shook his head. "The hat stays."

"If you insist," Rarity sighed. "But say, would you mind if I used your outfit as an inspiration? I just had a great idea for an all-new line of stallion's wear."

Link shrugged. "Sure, go ahead. So… this is a clothing store?"

"Why, certainly," Rarity said. "And while I can only praise you for your fashion sense, I understand that a good-looking stallion like yourself would try out something new now and then. So, do you see anything you like?"

'Was I just hit on by a pony?' Link wondered. Instead of pondering that question for too long, he replied: "I never really thought I had a good fashion sense… I usually don't wear anything besides this. To be honest, I can't remember if I've ever seen a boutique in Hyrule Castle Town…"

"Hyrule? I'm very sure I never heard that name before. Is that your hometown?"

"In a way, but I actually grew up in Kokiri Forest," Link said. "You know, right next to Lost Woods…" He stopped himself when he saw the confusion on the unicorn's face. He realized that she probably would have never heard of these names either. "Nevermind," he said. "Say, I'm new in town. Are there any places of interest I should visit while I'm here?"

A big grin then appeared in Rarity's face. "I just know the right place for you. And since you so generously allowed me to use your clothes as an inspiration, let me close the store early for today so I can take you there myself. Since I am a regular customer there, I'm sure they will give you some sort of discount. Come on, now… what was your name again?"

"It's Link."

"Let us go then, Link!" Rarity shouted as she dramatically raised her hoof up in the air. "To the Ponyville Day Spa!"

* * *

"Thank ya kindly for helping me deliver these pies to Goldie Delicious, Pinkie," Applejack said as she pulled the now empty cart along the pathway.

"No biggie," Pinkie Pie smiled while bouncing after her orange friend. "You know I love making my friends smile. And visiting a sweet old lady who lives with no pony but a huuuge amount of kitties while also bringing her lots and lots of yummy pies definitely counts as making somepony smile in my book."

"There you are, girls," Granny Smith greeted them as they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. "Did y'all run into any sort of trouble on your way to cousin Goldie?"

"Nopiedopie!" Pinkie said. "Nothing happened at all on the trip. It was kind of boring actually, if you ask me. I wanted to take the longer route through the scariest cave in Equestria and down that funneriffic waterfall, like last time, but Applejack didn't want to."

"Now Pinkie, I told you I'm very busy today," Applejack chuckled. "Taking the longer route takes too much time. Maybe next time, okay?"

"And you're totally not saying that because you're afraid of going through that cave again, right?" Pinkie asked.

Applejack gulped. "Nope… not one bit."

"Okay, just asking." Pinkie grinned.

"It sure is nice of you to offer your help, Pinkie," Granny Smith said. "Applejack probably would still be on her way to Goldie's hut if you hadn't helped her pull the jalopy."

"Hey, we're cousins now," Pinkie said. "I'm so happy to be part of this family. I'll always help if you need something done."

Applejack couldn't help but smile. It was still unclear if Pinkie really was their fourth cousin twice removed, but in the end, it didn't matter. Every time she came to help on the farm or to visit, it brought joy to everypony. She made the Apples laugh, and in turn, the Apples made her feel at home. Apple Bloom was overjoyed to have a new, second-favorite cousin (Babs was still her favorite) and they had already invited Pinkie to the next Apple family reunion.

"Where's Apple Bloom, Granny?" Applejack asked while putting the cart away.

"She's at Sugarcube Corner with her little friends," Granny said. "Oh, that reminds me: We had a couple of nice visitors on the farm today. A bunch of wanderers from another town. A young stallion, a mare and a little thing that looked like a Breezie…"

"Really? I'm sure Fluttershy would've loved to see that…"

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud gasp.

"There are NEW PONIES in town?" Pinkie shouted. "OHMYGOSH! I need to get everything ready for a welcoming party… seeyouguyslater!" And faster than you could say 'Filli-Second', she was off.

Applejack rolled her eyes in amusement. Typical Pinkie.

"Y'know, Applejack…" Granny said. "There's something about that mare I wanted to tell you…"

Applejack was taken aback. Granny was talking to her in a very calm and focussed voice, something you rarely hear from her nowadays. It always meant that she was about to talk about something serious. "…what is it, Granny?"

"Well, she looked very familiar. I'm not sure… but I'm having this nagging feeling I know her. And you as well. And Big Macintosh."

"Really?" Applejack was both surprised and intrigued. "What does she look like?"

"Brown coat, white mane… pretty normal, actually. Well, except for her cutie mark. I've never seen anything like it before. Three golden triangles put together…"

Applejack frowned. "That doesn't sound like anypony I know. Yer absolutely sure we know her?"

"Did ya listen to me at all? I just said I'm not sure!"

"Okay, okay, I got it. You wanna take a look at the old family album? Maybe she's in there somewhere."

"Not today," Granny yawned. "I'm getting a bit tired. I think I'll be taking a nap. You make sure Apple Bloom doesn't come home too late, will you?"

"Sure, Granny," the younger mare nodded. "Have a nice sleep."

Granny Smith's tale of the pony stranger had made Applejack unusually curious. If it wasn't for her remaining chores of the day, she would have started to do some research on the mare right away.

But that could wait. She could still take a look at the family album later. And maybe Twilight with her bookworm tactics could help her. And if Pinkie was planning a party for the newcomers (and knowing Pinkie, she would), Applejack would always be able to speak to the stranger herself at the party.

Maybe Granny was right. Maybe there was nothing to worry about. Maybe the mare was just a stranger neither of them had seen before. Maybe she just mistook her for another pony. There were a lot of brown ponies in the Apple family. And that weird triangle cutie mark? Nah, there was no way she would forget a cutie mark as strange as that.

It's not like meeting that pony would change everything in Applejack's life. Surely not…


	6. Meeting an Old Friend

Let me tell you something about my friends.

I'm not talking about my Hyrule friends, such as Link, Malon or… Navi. No, I'm talking about my Ponyville friends.

I didn't marry my husband right away after moving here from Manehattan. All I knew was that I wanted to get away from my parents' controlling manners: The way they always looked over my shoulder, the way they wanted me to inherit their family business and the way they dictated every little aspect of my life.

I hated it. And that's why I decided to move away as soon as I was of age. I gathered my belongings, met my beloved at the train station and together, we took the next train to Ponyville. And as soon as I arrived, I fell in love. With the town, I mean. Everypony was so friendly and there was much less noise, stench, hectic or stress. Of course I had to work hard to earn a living. Sure my darling offered me to live at the farm right away, but I wanted to show everypony that I would be able to stand on my own four hooves.

During my time in Ponyville, I met several ponies that would become my friends. Cup Cake, the baker's daughter. Pearl Belle, the jeweler-in-training. And Maybell Mare, the mayor's receptionist. Over the years, the four of us became inseparable. When I finally married my darling, they all volunteered to be my bridesmaids. Cup Cake, or Cuppy as we affectionally called her, was my best friend. We shared everything: The home-made pies and cakes we baked, the newest gossip in town and even the bits we earned.

Apart from my family, meeting her was the one thing I was most nervous about. I was very glad when I didn't run into her on the street, so I felt very relieved when I followed my daughter and her little friends into the strange, gingerbread house-shaped building.

I took a look around. There were yummy treats and tasty morsels everywhere. The sweet scent made my mouth water. Together, we approached the empty counter.

"Just you wait, Miss Romani," Apple Bloom said with excitement. "Sugarcube Corner has the most delicious cupcakes EVER!" She then turned towards the counter and shouted: "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Cake? Are you there? We're here for our daily dose of cupcakes!"

"We're in the back. Just a moment, dear," somepony shouted back.

I recognized her as soon as she entered the room. Sure, she had a new hairstyle and apparently gained a few pounds over the years, but it was obviously my dear old friend Cuppy. Taken completely by surprise, I froze in my tracks.

"Hello there again, girls," she greeted the fillies in that warm, welcoming tone of hers. "You really like my cupcakes so much that you have to come here every day?"

"You betcha!" Scootaloo grinned. "But this time around, we brought a guest."

"How nice of you," she smiled as she turned her head. "Welcome to Sugarcube Corners, how may I…?" She stopped herself when she saw me. Her eyes widened and she stuttered: "E-epona?"

Apple Bloom looked up at me with a frown, then back to Cuppy. "Epona? Nah, that's our new friend Miss Romani. She's new in town."

I quickly gathered myself and said: "Y-yeah, I'm just a tourist, passing through lovely Ponyville. And my name's Romani. Um, nice to meet you, Miss…"

"It's Mrs." she said. "Mrs. Cup Cake." I noticed her eyes were wandering towards my cutie mark. Sweatdrops were forming on my face. 'Don't let her recognize me, don't let her recognize me…' I pleaded to whatever gods were listening.

"Can we all have some of those delicious carrot cupcakes from last time?" Sweetie Belle asked. "They were the best."

"Oh, of course… my husband is making some at the moment. You know what, girls?" She smiled down at them. "Why don't you three go to the back and Mr. Cake can show you how it is done."

"Really? We can?" Scootaloo gasped.

"Sure you can. And I'm going to entertain your new friend while you're gone," Cuppy said.

"Cool! Maybe we can get our cutie marks in making cupcakes!" Sweetie Belle squeaked with excitement.

"I already tried that…" Apple Bloom sighed. "But… last time it was Pinkie who showed me. Maybe Mr. Cake can show me something new. And maybe this time it really works."

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS CUPCAKE BAKERS!" they shouted as they ran through the door. I would have gushed at the cuteness of it, if it wasn't for the predicament I was in.

As soon as the fillies left the room, my pudgy friend closed the door behind them. With a stern expression, she came around the corner and stood in front of me. "All right, Epona. You can cut the act."

Nervously, I swallowed. "I d-don't know what you're talking about…"

"Apple Bloom was still a baby when you left, so it's no surprise she didn't recognize you. But did you honestly think you could trick me, your oldest friend?" She smirked at me and I sighed. She was right. If there was a pony that knew me better than my own family, it was her.

"All right… you're right, it's me," I muttered. "But please, please don't tell Apple Bloom!"

"Well, that depends on what I'm going to hear," she said. "But first of all…" With no warning, she scooped me up in a massive hug. "Epona!" she squealed. She did her best not to alert anypony in the next room, though. "It's you… it's really you! Oh my gosh… what happened to you? Where were you? We all thought you were DEAD!"

I found myself smiling at her excitement and returned the hug. I realized just how much I missed her. "It's a long story," I whispered. "And I'm not entirely sure what happened. Let's just say I was… somewhere else."

"But you're back!" Cuppy let go of me, looked me directly into the eyes, grinned and hugged me back to her chest. "You're really back… and… what DID you do to your cutie mark?"

I looked back at my flank. "Oh, that? I just thought it was time to try something new…"

"Don't give me that! I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I wasn't born yesterday either. I know you can't just change a cutie mark like that. So what happened to that little fruit bowl of yours?"

"Honestly, I don't know. This new mark appeared as soon as I turned back into a pony."

"Turned back into a pony? Dear, you just HAVE to tell me the whole story… but not now. Apple Bloom and her friends are next door. Say, when are you going to tell her?" Cuppy asked.

"I… I'm not sure I actually want to tell her…" I quietly said. "I mean, I was unable to be a good mother for her the past ten years… I'm not sure she'd even want me…"

"Nonsense! She'd be overjoyed to have you! And have you thought about the other kids? What about Big Mac? What about APPLEJACK? The poor thing was distraught when we… well… we put up your gravestones…"

I blinked. "You actually put up gravestones for me and him?"

"Well, we never found your bodies… but what were we supposed to think? The two of you were HIT BY A METEOR!"

"Not so loud!" I hissed. Fortunately, the three fillies chose that exact moment to cheer something in the next room, so it was unlikely they heard us. "Apparently, we weren't. Or else I wouldn't be able to stand here right now. But I really can't remember what exactly happened…"

"Tell me later… come back when the fillies aren't around anymore. But, you'll have to tell me EVERYTHING! You got that? I'm your best friend, I DESERVE to know the truth."

"Okay, okay. I promise, I will tell you everything I know." I took a deep breath. "So…" I looked around. "Sugarcube Corner, huh?"

"Oh, yeah," she giggled. "Carrot came up with the name. But I chose the design. Looks a bit silly, but the ponies love it."

"So you finally married Carrot?" I smirked. "Took him long enough to ask you. How often did you two date, four times a week?"

"He was so shy and awkward," Cuppy laughed. "It was just too cute, honestly. But yes, in the end he did ask me."

"And children?" I held my breath.

She smiled. "Two. A filly and a colt. Twins… born just a couple of months ago. We had a baby shower and everything."

"Eeeek!" I gushed as quietly as I could. "I wanna see them… next time, that is. I'm soooo sorry I was unable to attend but, you know… I was kind of dead."

"All right… so… about Applejack…"

I sighed. "You're not going to drop this, are you?"

"Epona, she deserves to know. They deserve to have a mother who lives. Do you have an idea how much AJ pushed herself after she took over the farm? She worked herself to the bone, took care of all the apple trees, the other fruit, the animals and the whole management. The others are helping, of course. But Apple Bloom is still too young and Granny Smith is getting quite old, to be honest. And even when Big Mac offered Applejack to do half of the chores, she refused. She seriously wanted to prove to everypony that she'd be able to take care of the farm as good as her father."

"Stubborn little filly…" I couldn't resist a chuckle. "So much like her Dad… but what do you expect me to do? From what you're saying, she obviously has everything under control. And I saw the farm. Everything looked to be in order."

"Talk to her," Cuppy said as she put a hoof on my shoulder. "Let them know that at least one of their parents is still alive."

"But I don't know what to say, Cuppy!" I groaned. "It's been ten years and I… I'm not who I was anymore." I looked at my cutie mark. "Do you see it? I'm not a farmpony anymore… I'm an adventurer… I spent an entire new life in another world, with other people. How can everything return to normal just like that?"

I'm sure she noticed that I said 'people' instead of 'ponies'. I could tell there had to be hundreds of questions on her mind. But she didn't ask me anything. Instead, she patted my head and said: "Tell them, honey. It's for your own good, too. They are your children. You can't tell me you haven't missed them. I know you too well."

I knew she was right. That made it even harder for me. I started to sob. Why did all of this had to happen? Why to me and not to anypony else? Why was I brought to Hyrule and transformed, adapted to a new life? Did someone choose me to become the Hero of Time's noble steed? Why me? What was so special about me?

"I wish… I wish that meteor had actually crushed me…" I whispered.

Cup Cake grabbed my head and forced me to look into her eyes. "Don't say that!" she said firmly. "Don't ever say anything like that again, you hear me? You've been given a new CHANCE, don't you see? A chance to see your home again, your family, your friends…" For the third time this afternoon, she hugged me. "I've missed you so much…"

"I know," I muttered. "I'm sorry. I missed you too." And for a while, we just stood there, forelegs wrapped around each others necks.

And then Sugarcube Corner exploded. At least, that's what it felt like.

"RED ALERT! We have a party emergency! Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake… Man the ovens! Prepare the party cannons! There's a NEW PONY IN TOWN!"

I was ready to jump to the ceiling when this obviously crazy, obnoxiously loud pony came barging in through the front door, bouncing all over the place and leaving balloons, confetti and streamers in her wake.

Cuppy chuckled. "Epona? Meet Pinkie Pie."

* * *

Slightly confused, Link followed Rarity through town, until they reached a very clean-looking building. But nothing he saw showed him what kind of place this was.

As they approached the entrance, he said: "Um… Rarity? I'm sorry, but what exactly is a… a spa?"

"You are joking, right? Why, a spa is only the most delightful and relaxing spot you could ever find. Here, a customer can find everything that refreshes your body and spirit, from massages and warm water treatments to mud baths and hooficures."

"Aha," Link said, not really understanding everything. "So… this is a public bath?"

"Oh, you'll see," Rarity smiled as she opened the door. "Trust me, you'll love it."

They entered a small foyer of sorts. Behind the counter, a blue earth pony mare with a white headband welcomed them with a smile. "Miss Rarity! Thank you for visiting us again. The usual, I presume?"

"You know me too well," Rarity smirked. "And a full treatment for my friend Link, if you please."

When the mare looked at Link, something strange happened. Her whole body seemed to be getting tense and her eyes darted around as if something had alarmed her. But as soon as Link noticed, her pose immediately relaxed again. "But of course," she said in the most polite voice. "Mr. Link was it? Welcome to the spa! My name is Aloe and I am here to make sure you feel relaxed. Why don't you go ahead to the massage room? My sister and I will be with you soon, our assistants will make sure to meet your wishes."

"See? I told you they have the best customer service here," Rarity said. "Follow me, I know my way around this place. I've been here countless times."

Unsure what to expect, Link decided to follow Rarity. Aloe's eyes followed them as they went into the next room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, she ran into the back office, where her sister Lotus was taking care of some paperwork.

"Did I just hear the melodic voice of Miss Rarity?" Lotus smiled as she looked up at her sister. "I guess we should prepare her bath now, then."

"Forget about her!" Aloe whispered. "And speak quietly. You won't believe who just entered our spa…"

Lotus seemed confused. "Oh? Is it some sort of celebrity? A well-known businessmare or a Canterlot noble in vacation, perhaps? That would certainly help our business…"

"Would you stop that and listen? I'm talking about HIM!" Aloe hissed.

Lotus blinked. "Him?"

Aloe nodded and formed a triangle with her hooves. "Him."

Her sister's eyes widened as she understood. "Oh. HIM!"

Again, Aloe nodded. "What do we do? In a hundred years I didn't expect him to show up here, of all places."

Lotus' eyes narrowed. "We contact the master, of course. He must be informed about this."

"Of course." Together, they went to a mirror hanging on one side of the office. Aloe quickly pressed its frame, and the mirror slid sidewards, revealing a dark staircase leading down. The twins went downstairs, into a gloomy chamber that was only dimly lit with a couple of candelabras. In the middle, there was a strange pool, filled with what looked like liquid darkness. The two ponies took places on both sides of the pool. Using their forelegs, they performed a couple of complicated gestures in the air and chanted something in a strange tongue. In the end, a dark purple flame came shooting out of the pool. In its middle, a shadow appeared. A shadow in the form of a horse with glowing red eyes.

The twins bowed down in front of the shadow. _"Rise!"_ a deep, echoing voice spoke, and they obeyed.

"Forgive us, my lord," Aloe said. "But we have dire news. I don't know how it happened, but… somehow… the Hero of Time managed to find us!"

The shadow horse nodded. _"Yes, I know."_

That answer surprised the two ponies. "You… you know?" Lotus asked.

The shadow's ghastly laugh filled the room. _"Of course I know. I knew he would come to this world at some point. Everything is going according to plan. I've been waiting for this moment for years."_

A shimmer of hope and excitement appeared in Aloe's eyes. "Does that mean… we will finally get our revenge?"

"_Yes. That and much more. Now listen carefully: Your first task will be to take the Hero of Time prisoner. Do you understand? Do not harm him unless I say so! Afterwards, you shall do everything in your power to find his companions. I know he couldn't have come here alone."_

"As you wish, master. But what should we do if someone sees what we are doing?" Aloe asked.

"We built up this cover for years," Lotus said. "It would be unwise to reveal ourselves. All our plans will be crushed if the monarchs of the land find out about us."

"_They will not find out. If anyone sees you, eliminate them! Let there be no witnesses!"_ Having said that, the shadow horse disappeared and the dark flame swirled back down into the depths of the pool.

The sisters looked at each other. "Did you hear that?" Lotus asked.

Aloe nodded. "I did. Poor Miss Rarity… I really enjoyed serving her. But it looks like this will be her last treatment at our spa. The chamber?"

"Yes, the chamber."

Link sighed contently as the assistant's hooves rhythmically pounded on his back. He had no idea how this worked, but up to now, this whole treatment had felt heavenly. "This is great… thank you so much for inviting me, Rarity."

The unicorn smiled. "Please, it's the least I could do for a pony with such exquisite taste."

With the most cheerful expressions on their faces, the spa twins entered the massage room. "I hope everything was to your satisfaction, dear customers," Lotus said.

"But of course," Rarity said. "As usual, your services are delightful."

"Yes, I never felt this good in my whole life," Link grinned. "They should definitely open a spa in Hyr… where I'm from."

"Oh, it is only getting better," Aloe said. "After the massage, we invite you to come to the next room and we will show you the newest addition to our spa: An sauna that will refreshen your body and spirit. Please, it's this way."

After the masseur finished, Link and Rarity followed the twins in a spacious room with wooden, paneled walls. "Please, make yourselves comfortable while we prepare everything," Aloe said. As Link and Rarity sat down, the twins left and closed the door behind them.

Aloe turned the key, locking the door. "Everything ready?"

"Yes," Lotus nodded. "Minion, activate the bellows!"

The assistant's body shimmered momentarily as he opened his eyes, revealing an emotionless expression. With a slow nod, he turned around and did as he was told.

"Didn't I tell you?" Rarity asked Link. "This place is worth every single bit. I am very glad my store brings up enough money to afford this, I don't know how I would live through the week without my regular treatment."

"I'm sure Epona would enjoy it, too," Link said.

"Oh, you have a marefriend, Mr. Link?" Rarity grinned.

Link blushed. "Ah, she's just a friend. But she…" He then took a sniff. "Say… do you smell something weird?"

"Now that you mention it… these strange, green fumes can't be good for my complexion. Hello? Aloe? Lotus? Is everything okay?"

The twins' faces appeared in the small window in the room's only door. "Oh, it's more than okay," Lotus smiled. "Please try to relax, Miss Rarity. You will soon fall into a deep sleep."

Aloe nodded. "Yes, a very deep sleep. And you as well, Mr. Link. But unlike you, Miss Rarity will not wake up from hers."

"What are you talking about?" Link shouted. "Let us out!" He ran to the door and tried to open it. "It's locked."

Rarity coughed. "Goodness, that… that's gas, isn't it? I don't understand… why would you do this, girls? This isn't like you at all, you were always such good friends…"

"Seems like you never really knew the real us, Miss Rarity," Aloe said. "And if it makes you more comfortable: Know that we wish we didn't have to do this to you. You were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But we can't allow our HERO to run around Equestria and meddle in our affairs."

"What… what affairs?" Link moaned. Like Rarity, he was gasping for air. "How do you know me? Who are you?"

Aloe grinned. "Oh, I knew you wouldn't recognize us, Hero of Time. It has been a long time and my sister and I have changed even more than you did. Maybe you even forgot about us."

"But we never forgot!" Lotus shouted. "We never forgave you either! You broke into our sanctuary, stole our servant, killed our old bodies and, the worst crime of them all: You murdered the King of Evil!"

Link was unable to stand upright anymore. The toxic fumes were filling his nostrils, making him more and more dizzy. As he turned around, he saw that Rarity had already lost consciousness. "Wh-what? Who are you?"

"He still doesn't recognize us, sister," Aloe laughed. "But maybe this will jog his memory…" And on both of their headbands, a glowing gemstone appeared. Fiery red on Aloe's forehead and icy blue on Lotus'.

Link gasped as he slowly slid down. Just before his senses faded, he finally realized the true identities of the two ponies behind the door. "T-twinrova…" he muttered, then his head dropped motionless to the floor.


	7. Mother and Daughter

Navi took a sip of tea from the thimble Fluttershy had offered her. Gratefully, she looked up at her. "Thank you for the tea, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy smiled. "You're welcome. Now, what were you saying about your friend?"

Navi sighed. "I let her down. I let both of them down. We accomplished so many things together. We were a team… no, more than that. We could always count on each other. And even though it was Link who did most of the fighting and puzzle-solving, he always reminded us that what we did was just as important. Both he and Epona were the first true friends I had. Before we traveled together, I was always the lonely fairy without a partner. I felt tiny and unimportant. At their side, I had a purpose. I felt… needed." For a moment, the fairy's eyes lit up with joy, but then she looked down again. "And then I had to go and disappoint them."

"I'm sure you must have had a good reason," Fluttershy said.

"I had! I mean… that's what I kept telling myself. The truth is, I was afraid. After our journey was finished… I saw that the hero had saved the day. And now that the deed was done, what was his fairy companion supposed to do? Link had grown into a skilled swordsman and Epona was a strong and powerful steed. But me? I was just a little fairy… I served my purpose… and I felt as weak and helpless again as I did before. So… I did the only thing that seemed appropriate: I went back into the forest and let them live their lives."

Navi took another sip of tea after she finished her tale. For a moment, the inside of Fluttershy's cottage was silent, except for the sounds of rapid carrot-munching coming from Angel Bunny.

"You know," Fluttershy then spoke up. "You remind me a lot of myself. Like you, I am also often afraid that there's not a lot I can do. My friends are strong, brave, smart, funny and creative. What do I have? I live in a cottage near the forest and I'm so shy that I prefer the company of animals. And that's what I kept telling myself and them."

"Were they upset with you?" Navi asked.

Fluttershy chuckled. "Oh yes. Very upset. Especially Rainbow Dash. She insisted that every pony was different from another. And while I was unable to fly as fast as her and wasn't as brave as her, I had a different kind of strength. One that I had to discover myself. But the most important thing I discovered was that it didn't matter if the people don't know your strengths. Not as long as you have friends that do."

Navi sighed. "You must have nice friends. Maybe Epona can forgive me for what I did."

"Oh, I'm sure she will. She's your friend. Give it some time and everything will turn out okay."

"I think you're right… I shouldn't be so pessimistic. I guess I should go and look for them now, huh? I just wish I knew where they went… I don't really know my way around Ponyville."

"Let's go together then." Fluttershy finished the rest of her tea and put away the pot and cups. "I can show you all of Ponyville. And if your friends are there somewhere, I'm sure we will run into them."

Navi smiled. It was very hard to stay depressed in the presence of the kind-hearted pegasus. She sat down on Fluttershy's head, Angel Bunny hopped on her back and together, they left for Ponyville.

* * *

"Why hello there! My name is Pinkie Pie and I've never seen you before. Which means you must be one of the new ponies in town that I'm planning this party for. I sure didn't expect you to be here at Sugarcube Corner, but that's actually not so bad. Now you can tell me what kind of cake you prefer. Is it vanilla or chocolate? I've always liked chocolate, but vanilla can also be very good, especially with lots and lots of frosting. Oh, and do you want pink or yellow balloons? I have lots of pink ones, but not everypony likes them, so I have some extra. I mean, it would be very weird for me not to like pink, it's my own color. It's even in my name, how funny is that? Hahahaha! Hey, you know Applejack? You look a lot like her. At least your eyes do. What's your name, anyway?"

Let me tell you, I've never heard anyone in either world I lived in talk this fast before. The pink pony said all of this without taking a breath, all the while she stood uncomfortably close to me. "I'm Epo… Romani!" I quickly said. Her behavior irritated me so much that I nearly told her my real name.

"Nice to meet you then, Eporomani," Pinkie said. "I'm very sorry I didn't have the time to put up the party yet, but you're not leaving Ponyville anytime soon, are you? Because then I would have to make this a welcoming party as well as a farewell party."

Cuppy chuckled. "Pinkie, why don't you go and prepare that cake? Make that a chocolate cake, we have loads of extra chocolate from last week in the pantry. Also, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are in the back, maybe they can help you as well?"

"That's a great idea. You like chocolate, don't you, Eporomani?" I nodded dumbfoundedly and Pinkie grinned. "Great. See you later then." And she bounced out of the room.

"That was… strange," I muttered.

"Oh, you get used to it after living with Pinkie for some time," Cuppy laughed. "She's our assistant baker and salespony and has a room upstairs. She's one of Applejack's closest friends, you know?"

"This pony and Applejack?" I was surprised. Her hyper and over-the-top behavior didn't seem to fit the calmer and laid-back attitude I remember from my daughter. My mothering instincts kicked in without me realizing it. "Who are her parents?"

"Oh, she's not from around here. Her family owns a rock farm a short train ride away from Ponyville."

"Rock farmers?" I grew more confused by the second. That seemed to fit even less. The only rock farmers I met in my life had a very stoic and old-fashioned mannerism.

"I know Pinkie can be difficult at times, but given some time, you'll grow to like her. Everypony in Ponyville likes her."

"I'm not even sure I'll stay that long…" I muttered.

Cuppy looked at me with surprise and disappointment. "You… want to leave? But you just came back… and right now, I'm the only one who knows. Don't you want to stay? Don't you want to find out more about how much Ponyville has changed?"

"Cuppy, listen…" I sighed. "I'm not sure it was a good idea to come back in the first place. The longer I'm here, the more I see how much everything has changed. It's not the Ponyville I remember. This isn't my home anymore. I have a place in Hyrule… that's where I belong."

"Please, Epona… don't make a mistake. The little filly over there…" Cuppy pointed to the next room, which was filled with the giggles of Pinkie and the CMC. "You gave birth to her, yet you don't even know her. You have a chance to change that. Don't throw that chance away… don't throw away her chance to get to know you, either."

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I should go. Please don't tell anypony about me… tell Carrot if you must, but nopony else. I'll go find my friends and go back to Hyrule." I gave her a farewell hug and walked towards the exit.

"Epona… please don't go…" Cuppy said.

I looked back at her with a sad smile. "It was nice to see you again. Take care of your family. And say hi to your children from me… At least they have a mother their whole life long."

And that's when I wanted to leave. But before I reached the door, a rainbow-colored blur came dashing in and nearly ran me over. "Sorry, sorry!" a panicking voice shouted. I turned my head and saw a young pegasus mare with a very unusual, rainbow-colored mane. "Pinkie!" she shouted. "Are you there? Come on, something happened to Rarity!"

"What, what? What's going on?" Pinkie asked as she came over from the other room. Apple Bloom and the other two fillies were right behind her.

"What's wrong with my sister?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I… I dunno!" the rainbow mare said. "I was taking my afternoon nap on a cloud just above the spa and saw her walk in, followed by that stallion with the strange green cap and the sword…"

"Oh, were you spying on Rarity while she had a date?" Pinkie giggled.

"A sword?" Scootaloo asked. "That sounds so cool."

A sword? A green cap? That sounded familiar.

"Yer really worried that Rarity went to the spa with a stallion, Rainbow Dash?" Apple Bloom asked. "That sounds pretty normal to me."

"Yeah, but it's been hours and they never came back out. Usually, when I see Rarity enter the spa, she comes back out one hour later at most."

"Aren't you worrying too much?" Pinkie asked. "Maybe she joined Aloe and Lotus for a cup of tea. That reminds me, I should buy some more tea bags for the party."

"But Rarity said she wanted to join me and Mom and Dad for dinner this evening," Sweetie Belle said. "And she's never late for dinner. She always says it's unbecoming for a lady to be late for a meal. Ohmygosh! Maybe she IS in trouble!"

I turned around. "Where is this… spa?" I asked.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash looked at me. "Who are you?"

"That's Eporomani," Pinkie said. "I'm preparing a welcoming party for her and another new pony in town. Hmmm, you don't think that other stallion that is with Rarity is the other new pony, do you?"

"If he has a sword and a green hat, it's him," I said. "Now, where is the spa?"

"Come on, I'll show you," Rainbow said as she dashed outside. "Pinkie Pie, hurry."

"Right behind you, Dashie," Pinkie shouted as she bounced after her.

The three fillies wanted to run after them as well, but I stopped them with my hoof. "You better stay here, girls."

"What? No way! I wanna see Rainbow Dash in action," Scootaloo protested.

"And I want to help my sister," Sweetie Belle pleaded.

"Can't we come, too? Please?" Apple Bloom asked.

I looked down at her. This was my little daughter. And I couldn't allow her to put herself in danger. So I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but no. Be good fillies and stay here with Mrs. Cake."

"Ya can't tell us what to do," Apple Bloom frowned. "Yer not my mother."

Those words stung more than anything else, but I stayed firm. "Please, listen to me. I have a very bad feeling about this."

Cuppy walked up to the fillies and said: "Don't worry, I'll make sure they get home."

I looked at her gratefully. "Thank you." And then I ran after Pinkie and Rainbow.

* * *

While Fluttershy, Angel and Navi were on the path to Ponyville, they met up with a certain, hat-wearing orange mare who just came from Sweet Apple Acres.

"Applejack!" Fluttershy smiled. "Are you on your way to town as well?"

"Howdy, Fluttershy," Applejack nodded. "And as my big brother would say: Eeyup! I was looking at Granny's old family album when I noticed I still had that book about the history of Equestrian Apple Farming Twilight gave to me last week. So I thought I'd return it to her." She then noticed Navi. "Say, who's yer lil friend? Another one of them Breezies?"

"This is Navi, a fairy," Fluttershy explained. "I'm going to show her Ponyville and then we're going to look for her friends. Navi, this is Applejack, one of my friends I told you about."

"Hello, Miss Applejack," Navi said politely.

Applejack grinned. "No need for the 'Miss'. Any friend of Fluttershy's is a friend of mine." She then thought of something. "Say… one of your friends doesn't happen to have a golden triangle cutie mark, does she?"

"Why yes, she does," Navi said in surprise. "Do you know Epona?" She then slapped her hands over her mouth. 'Oh no,' she thought. 'I forgot I wasn't supposed to tell anyone Epona's real name.'

A deep frown appeared on Applejack's face as she was pondering. "Epona… Epona… For Celestia's sake, why does that name sound so familiar? I know I heard it somewhere before."

"Navi said this was the first time she and her friends were in Ponyville," Fluttershy said. "Maybe it's another pony with the same name."

"Possible," Applejack shrugged. Navi didn't dare to say another peep. She just hoped Epona wouldn't be too upset with her… or more upset than she already was.

Together, they entered town. "So, this is Ponyville," Fluttershy said. "We have Twilight's library over there, the post office, the quills and sofas store, the spa… EEP!" She ducked when a polychromatic pegasus came flying her way.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she tried to stop her momentum in mid-air. Only her long years of flight training allowed her to prevent crashing into Fluttershy. But then, Pinkie Pie came slamming into Rainbow's backside, the multi-colored speedster was thrown into Fluttershy, and the three ponies, along with Angel and Navi, collapsed in a heap of tangled bodies and limbs.

"Whoooooo…" Pinkie said. "Anypony got the number of that pegasus?"

"Fluttershy? Get your wing out of my face," Rainbow grumbled.

"S-sorry…" Fluttershy muttered,

Navi could only gasp for air. A rabbit was sitting on her.

Applejack went to help untangle her friends. "Now where in the hay are you two going in such a hurry?"

"Th-the s-spa…" Pinkie stuttered. There were still little Fluttershys circling her head.

"Are you okay?" Another pony came to a stop in front of them. "I heard a crash…" It was a brown pony with a white mane and a golden triangle cutie mark. When she saw Applejack, she let out a gasp.

"We're fine, thanks," Rainbow Dash said. "Not the first crash in my career…"

Applejack looked towards the new pony. "You must be Epona, right? Pleased to… wait a sec… Epona… Epona…"

"H-how do you know my name?" the pony stuttered. "Dammit, Navi! You told them, didn't you?"

"Someone… lift… the rabbit…" Navi gasped.

Applejack slowly approached the pony. The way she looked. The way she was looking at her. The way she spoke. All of this awoke something in her… memories from a time long ago…

* * *

"Mommy! Mommy, look at my hat! Look at my hat!"

The little filly's mother giggled when she saw the oversized hat on her daughter's head. "It's a bit big, don't you think, darling?"

Her husband smiled. "She'll grow into it. As long as she likes it. You like yer new hat, don't you, little appleseed?"

"I love it, Daddy!" little Applejack squealed. Laughing, her mother picked her up from the ground and her father gave them both a big hug.

* * *

Applejack continued to stare at the mare in front of her. After a while, Pinkie Pie started waving her hoof in front of her friend's face. "Yoohoo! Equestria to Applejack! You still there?"

"What's the matter with you, girl?" Rainbow asked.

Applejack just pushed Pinkie's hoof to the side and approached the white-maned mare. "It can't be…" she muttered. "It just can't… y'all died! Both of you!"

The mare let out a deep sigh. "I was hoping to avoid this… but I guess there's no way around it." She forced herself to smile. "Hello, Applejack. You've grown so much since I last saw you…"

Small tears appeared in the corners of Applejack's eyes. Then she ran ahead and grabbed the white-maned pony that was her mother in a massive hug. "Mom…" she cried. "Mom…"

Her friends could only watch in surprise as they saw their otherwise so strong and stubborn friend break down in tears. This was a side of her they had never witnessed before.

Epona softly stroked her daughter's back. She, too, couldn't hold her tears back any longer. "Ssshhh. It's okay. Your mother is here, honey. Your mother is here."


	8. Breaking Bones

"MOTHER?" Rainbow gasped. "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute… what's going on here? Didn't she tell us her mother was… well… dead?" She looked over to her friends, who were just as confused as she was, I could tell.

"M-mom?" Applejack tried to get a hold of herself. "It… it IS you, isn't it? I mean, this ain't just some sort of setup to trick me, right? Yer no changeling… or magic illusion or…"

"Applejack!" I firmly grasped my daughter's hooves. "Look at me. I am here, really. This is no trick. And I wasn't dead, not really. I was just… gone. But now I'm back and I'm standing here, right in front of you. I can't really tell you the how and why, but… it's me! Really!"

"Y… you're back? Honestly? And you… you'll stay, right? You're not gonna die or disappear or whatever again and leave me alone like ya did before… right?" She looked at me through shimmering eyes.

I saw so much in these eyes at the moment. I saw happiness, confusion, hope, years of suppressed pain that was coming to the surface. But I also saw fear… fear that this happiness would suddenly disappear again. I knew Applejack was a strong pony, she always had been, even when she was a filly. But I had no idea if she could live through that despair another time.

That was the reason why I didn't want to tell her I was here. I didn't want her to feel the same pain again, the pain she felt when she lost me. But now I was here, in front of her. And she saw me.

And I couldn't possibly abandon her ever again.

So I smiled. "Don't worry, Applejack. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying… I'm staying right here, with you."

"Oh Mom…" she sniffled again. I saw how much she tried to fight the tears this time. She didn't want to show her friends the softer, more vulnerable Applejack. But in the end, she succumbed to her feelings and she hugged me once again. "I'm so glad yer back."

"Awwww, that's sooo sweet…" the yellow pegasus (whose name I still didn't catch) gushed. Next to her, fountains of tears were streaming out of Pinkie's eyes at the sweet scene in front of her. Even Rainbow Dash, who I had assessed as a tough, tomboy kind of girl, quickly wiped something out of her eyes.

"J-just something in my eye…" she mumbled.

"What in Equestria is going on here?" I turned my head at this sudden, new voice. Which was a bit difficult with my daughter hanging from my neck.

Everypony must have heard the sound of my eyes popping out of their sockets. I couldn't even gasp in surprise. I just stared at the purple pony with the star cutie mark. And the horn. And the wings.

I was looking at an alicorn. How could there be an alicorn? There was only one alicorn in all of Equestria. And Princess Celestia wasn't a pony you could just run into in the middle of a street on a perfectly normal day. But this was no costume either. This was a real alicorn.

"Applejack?" I said.

Applejack looked up at me. "Yeah, Mom?"

I pointed my hoof across the street. "There's an alicorn standing there. Why is there an alicorn standing there?"

"What?" She looked around and then smiled. "Oh, that's just Twilight. She's one of my closest friends."

I blinked. "You are friends… with an alicorn."

She nodded. "Sure am. Come, lemme introduce you to her. In fact, lemme introduce you to all my friends." With the biggest grin, she looked at the assembled ponies. "Girls? I want y'all to meet my Mom… Epona Apple! And Mom, these are Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle." One after another, she pointed at the two pegasi, the pink bouncing earth pony and the alicorn.

"Very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Apple," Fluttershy smiled.

"Hello there!" Pinkie waved.

"Pinkie, we already met her," Rainbow sighed.

"Oh yeah," Pinkie giggled.

For the whole time, the alicorn Applejack just introduced to me as Twilight just stood there, looking at me. Now she was tilting her head. "Your… mother? Applejack, that seems pretty… implausible."

I saw how my daughter gave the alicorn a disgruntled look. "Whaddya mean, implausible? Don't gimme implausible, Twi. This is my mother. Why wouldn't she be?"

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you this, but your mother is, well… dead. Have you considered she might be a doppelganger or worse, a changeling?" I wanted to feel annoyed at the alicorn, but I could understand her skepticism. On top of that, she was an alicorn. You wouldn't disagree with an alicorn.

As it turned out, my daughter did not agree with me on that point. She shouted: "You stop there right now, Twilight! Do ya think I wouldn't recognize my own mother? She acts the same, she talks the same and she looks the same! Well, except for her cutie mark, but... that's not important!"

"Applejack…" Twilight hesitated a bit, carefully choosing her next words. "But that is exactly what a changeling does. They try their best to imitate the person they turn into. And you said it yourself, her cutie mark isn't the same. So it could very well be a changeling that made a mistake with the transformation. If you could just let me do a magic scan of her aura, then we can tell for sure…"

"Not happening, Twi," Applejack shouted. "You keep yer magic away from my Mom, you hear? She's my mother and that's final!" There it was again, that Apple stubbornness I knew so well from her and her father. With a sigh, I removed myself from Applejack's hug and reassuringly patted her backside. "It's all right, honey. She can do her scan if she thinks it's important."

"But it's not!" Applejack protested. "She shouldn't need to prove that you're a changeling. I can tell either way."

"I know that. But let's just do it to reassure your friends, okay?"

Applejack didn't seem to like that idea at all, but she didn't protest anymore either. I slowly walked up to her alicorn friend. I was a bit unsure how to act. Was I supposed to bow down? The only alicorn that was supposed to exist was our one and only ruler, Princess Celestia. This couldn't be her daughter, right? To be on the safe side, I gave her a small bow.

She seemed a bit uncomfortable at the gesture. "No need for that," she said. "I may be a princess, but I'm also just a normal citizen of Ponyville, like everypony else." So I was right. She was a princess, even though a humble one. So many questions were going through my head. Did Celestia marry? Did we suddenly have a king?

I raised my head. "Do what you have to do, your Highness. I am willing to prove that I have no evil intent. I was an honest citizen of Equestria once, and I plan on becoming one, once again." I smiled at Applejack, and she quickly put her hat in front of her face, to hide another incoming surge of emotions.

She nodded. "Then please hold still for a moment. This won't hurt at all." She brought her horn close to my body and let it shine in a sparkling aura. For a moment, my whole body was glowing in the same color and I felt a slight tingle.

"This is odd…" Twilight muttered. "I feel a strange magical energy within your body. But… I can tell it's not your own. There is no evil or dark magic anywhere in you."

"I told you so!" Applejack said. "I told you this was my Mom."

"It seems so. She is definitely a regular earth pony, even though I can't quite place that unusual magic within her… doesn't feel like anything I felt before." She dropped her spell and gave me a welcoming smile. "Either way, I am glad you are the pony my friend Applejack claimed you to be. I am very honored to finally make your acquaintance, Mrs. Apple. On behalf of the Equestrian throne, I welcome you back in Equestria."

"Thank you. I am very glad to be back," I smiled. Then I ran back to give my daughter another hug, while her friends were cheering at us.

That is, until Rainbow Dash stopped everypony's cheering with a cough. "Sorry to interrupt, but… I almost forgot we still got a problem at hoof. The spa? Rarity? Your friend?"

"What are you talking about, Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, that's right!" Pinkie gasped. "Rarity and Miss Eporomani-Applejack-Mom's friend went into the spa and never came out. Hours ago!"

I scolded myself for forgetting that for a moment. The reunion with my daughter almost made me forget about Link. "She's right… from the description she gave me, my companion Link was with her."

"Link's in trouble?" Navi gasped. I also almost forgot she was still there. "We need to help him."

"The spa?" Twilight asked in confusion. "Why would the spa mean trouble? You guys are worrying too much. They probably lost track of time or something. This is Rarity we are talking about. You know how she is at the spa."

"Yes, but we are also talking about Link," I said. "No offense, your Highness… but Link is a very dependable friend. He wouldn't spend hours in a store while there are other, more important things to do. And last time I saw him, he was searching for our fairy friend, Navi. You didn't run into him yet, did you?" I asked Navi.

She shook her head. "No, I didn't. I was with Fluttershy the whole time. Dear Nayru, what are we going to do?"

"I know only one thing to do," Applejack said. She winked at me. "C'mon, Mom. Let's go find yer friend."

* * *

The door opened slowly and a cute yellow snout pushed its way inside. "Hello? Aloe? Lotus? Are you there? We hate to be a bother, but we're here for Rarity…"

"Careful, Fluttershy," Applejack said as she walked past her friend. "We don't know what we're up against."

"Yeah, maybe it's a trap," Rainbow Dash nodded. "Like in Daring Do and the Shimmering Sphinx… Book 4, chapter 3, when Daring ventures into this abandoned casino and finds herself surrounded by…"

"Would you two stop that?" Twilight groaned. "This is the Ponyville Day Spa, not the Temple of Argus. I'm sure there's nothing here we have to be afraid of."

I pushed my way past them and looked around. "I don't know," I said. "Seems awfully quiet for a normal spa. No receptionist, no employees. No customers."

"Maybe… maybe it's a holiday," Twilight said, but her argument sounded pretty weak.

"Twilight, out of all ponies, with all your schedules and charts, I assumed you would know the different Ponyville holidays." Pinkie shook her head disapprovingly. "There is no scheduled party planned for the next two weeks."

"But I don't understand this," Fluttershy muttered. "Where are Aloe and Lotus? Where is Rarity? I hope they're okay."

"I'm… I'm sure Link would protect them if they were in any danger," Navi said, but she sounded uncertain herself.

"Let's take a look around," Twilight said. "Rainbow, you and Pinkie check the sauna. Fluttershy… you're with me. Let's search in the bath and massage rooms. And Applejack…"

"I'm with my Mom," Applejack said. I smiled. Now that I was back, she didn't want to let me out of her sight.

Twilight nodded. "Okay… you check the office, then." And we all spread out.

I entered a regular-looking office with a desk, a couple of chairs, one window and a big mirror hanging on the wall. I checked the window… it was shut tight. And there were no traces around it. No pony had left through here.

"Mom?" Applejack asked. "Can I talk to ya fer a sec?"

I should have known she would have wanted to speak to me in private. "Sure, honey," I said and turned around. "What's on your mind?"

"I… I've been thinkin'," she said. "And I don't really know what's going on. Suddenly, you're back… and it's like you've never been dead in the first place. But now you have that fairy thing with ya and that other friend and everything's crazy and… I just wanna know, where were you? What happened to you?"

"Applejack, I… I'm not who I used to be," I sighed. "I mean, I'm still me, but… I'm not just a farmpony anymore. I'm an adventurer. I met my new friends in a faraway land and helped them save it from a… a very evil man."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a lil filly anymore, Mom. You can give me the hard facts. Was it some sort of evil overlord guy?"

I nodded.

"Black magic?"

"Yes."

"Not very nice?"

"Eeyup!"

"Wanted to take over the world?"

"Of course!"

She sighed. "One of those guys, huh? Sounds a lot like that shadowy king we dealt with in the Crystal Empire."

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Shadow king? Crystal Empire?"

"Long story, Mom. Let's just say yer not the only one with her share of adventures. So, how did ya deal with Darklord McEvilStallion? Blast him with some sort of love or harmony magic stuff?"

I didn't try to explain that Ganondorf was not a pony at all, so I just replied: "No… my friend Link rammed a sword through his skull."

She grimaced. "Sheesh. Sounds kinda grim, dontcha think?"

"Well, he wasn't going to sit down to have tea with us and discuss our differences," I frowned. "Sometimes, extreme measures must be taken, Applejack. I learned that all too well on my journey with Navi and Link. And about my cutie mark… it must have something to do with what happened to me over there. It is… a very important symbol for the people who live in that country."

"Well, wallop my withers," Applejack said with a smirk. "My Mom's a national hero… who would have thought?"

"I actually just helped, honey. Link did most of the work," I said with a blush.

"Don't sell yerself short. I'm mighty proud to have such an awesome Mom." She rubbed her head against mine, and I returned the gesture. That's when I noticed something.

"Applejack… take a look at that mirror. The frame is all crooked."

She took a look. "So? What about it?"

I knew enough about Link's experience with old dungeons and temples to realize what this meant. "If I'm not mistaken, this is…" I fumbled along the mirror frame, until something clicked and the mirror slid sideways. "A hidden passage."

"Whoa nelly!" Applejack gasped. "That's… mighty impressive, Mom. Let's tell the others."

We went back to the foyer, where we met up with the others. "Pinkie found some icky green stuff on the sauna floor," Rainbow reported.

Pinkie nodded. "I took a lick and it made me feel all dizzy."

"Pinkie, don't lick up strange substances you know nothing about," Twilight said. "Well, we found nothing. All of the rooms were empty, and there was stuff lying around everywhere, as if somepony had left the building in a hurry. What about you?" She looked at me and Applejack.

Applejack smirked. "My Mom found a secret passage." That's just like her, to brag with her mother's awesomeness.

"I knew it!" Rainbow shouted. "There IS an ancient temple down below!"

"Rainbow Dash, NOTHING in the history of Ponyville suggests that there was EVER any sort of underground temple constructed here," Twilight sighed. "But let's take a look."

We showed them the entrance. Together, we followed the stairs leading down into a dark chamber… but it was completely dark. Twilight illuminated the room with her horn, and we saw it was completely empty. No other exit either.

Twilight shuddered. "This place …I feel a very dark and chilly aura in here. Somepony must have used some very dark and powerful magic down here."

"Be careful, there might be traps," Rainbow muttered.

"She's in full Daring Do mode," Applejack told me with a roll of her eyes.

"What's a Daring Do?" I quietly asked her.

"Oh, just some books Twi and Rainbow like. Just don't ask Rainbow about them if you don't want to hear a speech that goes on for hours."

I simply nodded and started looking through the room. It felt strange… almost as if the world had completely turned around and I had become the hero traversing the dungeon and Link was the… um… stallion in distress I had to save.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Fluttershy suddenly yelped. "Wh-what is thaaaaat?"

Everypony turned to face her. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Fluttershy pointed at something at the ground, a dark shape lying there. Navi flew closer and her bright aura drove the darkness away a bit. "Those are… skeletons! Pony skeletons…"

Fluttershy covered her eyes with a frightened cry. The others stared at the bones with horror and disbelief. "The bones of dead ponies… in a secret room underneath the Ponyville Day Spa?" Applejack muttered. "That's… that's morbid, y'all."

"B-but I don't understand!" Twilight sounded like she was starting to panic. "How could this have happened? Why didn't I know any of this?"

I took a closer look at the skeletons. "Looks like they've been here for a long time. Several months, at least." Fluttershy's whimpering intensified.

"You… you mean these are dead… dead ponies?" a very quiet and distraught voice next to me spoke up. I took a look and saw to my surprise that it was Pinkie… but the usually chipper party pony had changed a lot. Instead of spreading optimism, she was an image of sadness and despair. Her poofy hair had gone completely flat and even her colorful coat seemed to be drained of its brightness.

"Let's… let's get out of here," Applejack muttered. "Let's get Pinkie and Fluttershy out of here." I nodded in agreement. Whatever adventures these ponies had lived through, it was obvious that they had never encountered true death before. And while the others were disturbed, Pinkie and Fluttershy took it the hardest. Since there was nothing down here that could give us any help, any sort of clue, we just turned around and walked back towards the stairs.

That's when I heard the rattling. I froze. I knew that sound. I heard it a million times before… but that couldn't be! That was back in Hyrule! This was Equestria!

I turned my head… and sure enough, the skeletons were slowly rising to their hooves. Inside their empty eye sockets, a sinister red light started glowing. There were eight of them… Stalfos! They were pony versions of the Hyrule skeleton warriors, but I knew it was them.

The ponies let out screams of fright. "Wh-what are those things?" Rainbow Dash gasped.

"Undead ponies…" Twilight muttered. "Necromancy… one of the forbidden arts. Celestia, how could I not have known this? They are forbidden for a reason."

"Stand back…" I said. "I'll handle them." Even though Link had done most of the fighting, I still had seen him confront evil creatures on an almost daily basis. And sometimes, I even fought at his side when we were ambushed on the Hylian plains at night. Also, I was the only pony in Equestria with any sort of experience with monsters from Hyrule.

With a loud whinny, I charged the first Stalfos before it had any chance of attacking. It wasn't enough to completely defeat it, but it was flung against the wall, where it would need some time to reassemble itself. Another Stalfos let out a screech and tried stabbing me with its horn… it was the skeleton of a unicorn. Good thing they could never use their magic in undeath. I dodged the attack and let him taste my hind legs. I felt the shattering of bone under my hooves, and the creature's skull flew off its body. I tried to face the next opponent, but I knew instantly I wouldn't be fast enough to dodge the attack of the third Stalfos when it lowered its horn and charged at me.

"YEEE-HAWW!" Before it reached me, however, Applejack came running and attacked it with a full body slam. With a rattling sound, it was thrown into one of the other skeletons.

"Y'all leave my Mom alone, you rattling piles of bone, ya hear me?" she shouted. In the next moment, Rainbow Dash and Twilight were at her side and helped her fight off the undead ponies with magic blasts, kicks and dive attacks from above.

I was very surprised… both at how well the three of them fought and that they managed to shrug off their terror that fast. Applejack had told me they had fought some sort of enemy before, but I never expected them to be this formidable in combat… well, except for maybe the alicorn princess. Not wanting to be outdone by my daughter and her friends, I joined them in battle.

I noticed too late how one of the Stalfos, after pulling its bones back together from one of my attacks, wasn't rejoining the battle, but instead turned around to search for an easier prey… and that prey were the still shivering forms of Fluttershy and Pinkie cowering near the staircase. I swore under my breath and ran to help them… but found myself blocked by another skeleton. So I could only watch helplessly as the other Stalfos approached the scared pair.

Fluttershy pulled her mane over her eyes and sobbed, but Pinkie… she looked at her crying friend for a moment, then at the approaching Stalfos.

"You… you're making Fluttershy cry…" she muttered. Suddenly, a very stern expression appeared on her face. "Nopony, and I mean NOPONY makes Fluttershy cry!" she shouted as her hair was suddenly back to its former poofiness. She jumped to her feet, and her hooves reached up into her hair… and somehow, pulled a cannon out of there, a cannon that was almost as big as Pinkie herself.

"Taste my party cannon, you… you unfunny, unsmiling, unhappy bone baddies!" Pinkie shouted as she shot a burst of confetti and streamers out of the cannon… a burst apparently so powerful that the Stalfos broke apart in a shower of fragments.

One last blow of my hoof to my opponent's skull finished the battle. We had won.

"Fluttershy, Pinkie!" Rainbow shouted as she flew to her friends. "Are you okay?"

"Y-y-yes," Fluttershy stuttered, obviously still shaken. "P-Pinkie protected me." And she smiled up at her friend, eyes full with gratitude.

"But that was intense," Applejack panted heavily. "I've never fought these kinds of monsters before."

"We have," I said and exchanged a look with Navi, who nodded. "But not in Equestria."

"This is bad," Twilight muttered. "Really bad. I must inform Princess Celestia about this… and do a lot of research. And…"

"I think we have a much more urgent problem," I said. "Our friends are gone and we last saw them going into a building whose basement was swarming with the undead. The question remains: Where are they?"

* * *

Rarity moaned as she slowly opened her eyes. "Heavens… my head hurts," she muttered. "I feel like after one of Applejack's late night cider parties." She looked around. "Where… where am I?"

She saw Link sitting next to her "Hey, good to see you're feeling better," he said. "And to answer your question: We're in a cage."

He was right. They were imprisoned in a big, iron cage with a heavy padlock hanging from it. The cage was standing on a wooden cart that was slowly moving along a desolate forest path. Through the trees, they could see the evening sky. When Rarity looked ahead, she saw that Aloe and Lotus were sitting in the front of the cart, which was pulled by a pair of strangely bulky-looking ponies.

"Aloe! Lotus! What is the meaning of this? I demand you let us out at once!" Rarity shouted.

"Oh, Miss Rarity, you've woken up!" Aloe said with a smile as she turned around. "Good, I was worried for a while. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we just can't allow you to run to Princess Twilight and tell her about what happened at the spa. Oh, and Mr. Link? Don't bother looking for your sword, we put it somewhere safe."

Link realized that his sword, along with the rest of his equipment, was gone. He couldn't see it anywhere. "Didn't you want to kill her?" he asked with a frown. "Why change your mind now?"

"There was… a change of plans," Lotus said. "Make no mistake, we were ready to carry out the order given to us, but then… we found out something surprising. Something about our dear old friend Miss Rarity, something we would have never guessed before. We told our master about it and he told us to leave Ponyville and bring the both of you somewhere safer."

"Your… master?" Link asked, confused. "Who is your master? It can't be Ganondorf, he's gone."

"Do you honestly think we would tell you such a crucial piece of information that easily, Hero of Time?" Lotus frowned. "You'll meet him soon enough… if and when he desires to see you. For now, we are meeting with a couple of… let's say accomplices. Be thankful you both are still alive."

Rarity sighed deeply. "I don't understand. I've known you for years and suddenly, you two seem like complete strangers."

"You probably don't know them as well as I do," Link said. "They are the twin witches, Twinrova… deception and deceit is what they do and enjoy. They work only for the evil king, Ganondorf… at least, that's what they did when I last saw them. All they wanted to do was to make sure he was the ruler of my home country. And they stopped at nothing to accomplish that. They are a pair of cruel, horrible, ugly witches."

"Ugly? Now that stung!" Aloe gasped mockingly. "Say, Hero of Time, did you take a good look at us? Do we look ugly to you? Do you think this is a disguise? No, this is who we are now. The old witches are dead, remember? It was you who delivered the final blow. You killed us!"

Rarity looked at Link. "Is… is that true? Did you really… kill them?"

"I did what I had to do, Rarity," Link shouted. "Don't let them fool you, they were doing horrible stuff back then."

"It's all true, Miss Rarity," Aloe sighed. "We did a lot of awful things in our old lives. And I won't apologize for them. But after we died, we were reborn as ponies."

Rarity swallowed. That was a lot to take in. "But you don't have to do this," she softly said after a while. "If what you're saying is true, then your old life is over. You don't have to do all these horrible things anymore. Just go back to your old lives at the spa. I'll tell the princesses you had a change of heart. I'm sure they'll understand."

Aloe hesitated. "I… wish I could, Miss Rarity," she sighed. "Truly, I wish I could just go back to being a regular earth pony in Ponyville. But things have changed…"

"Be quiet, sister!" Lotus snapped. "You're right, things have changed. These lives we lived… they were fake lives. Our master showed us our past, he knows what we did. He is the only way out of this for us. He is our salvation! Be a bit more grateful!"

Aloe sighed and turned away from the cage. "You're right… I'm sorry."

Link snorted. "You're not getting away with this…"

Lotus snickered. "But we already have. We left Ponyville far behind, and if anyone tries to search our old hiding place, we left a nice little surprise there. I wish I could be there to see it. But tomorrow morning, we'll be at our new hideout. I just hope our three-handed friend has prepared everything for our arrival… and the ritual."

"Ritual? Wh-what kind of ritual?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, that's the reason why we didn't kill you yet," Lotus smiled. "You see, we are looking for the powers of the sages of this kingdom. And you, you are the Sage of Generosity! Congratulations, Miss Rarity!"


	9. Family Reunion

I had regained my daughter. But then, I lost my friend. Did life have to make me feel miserable, I wondered. Back in Hyrule, I was without my family. And now that I'm back in Equestria, my best friend was taken from me.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Navi gently poked my side. "Epona? I think you should take a look at this… I found it among the defeated Stalfos." I looked at what she was holding. It was a torn piece of cloth. And it had a very familiar-looking emblem on it.

It was the emblem of the Gerudo tribe.

"How?" I muttered. "This doesn't make any sense. How can this be here?"

"I don't know, but I didn't exactly expect Stalfos to be here either," Navi shrugged.

"Did ya find something, Mom?" Applejack asked.

I nodded and showed her the piece of cloth. Twilight came to take a look as well. "Huh? Now what in the hay is that supposed to be?" Applejack wondered. "Ya ever see anything like that before, Twi?"

"I'm… not sure," Twilight said. "I have the weirdest feeling I've seen it before in a book. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't a book about linguistics… maybe it was 'Ancient Cultures and History'? No, that's not it either…"

"What are you all doing, looking at that rag?" Rainbow asked as she pushed her way past Applejack. "Don't we have more important stuff to do like, I don't know… find Rarity? Let's get out of here and…" She went silent when she looked at the cloth and her jaw dropped. "Th-that… that's… Twilight, don't you know what that is?"

"Wait a second, are you telling me you know something about a symbol Twilight knows nothing about?" Applejack asked in confusion. "Did the whole world turn around or something?"

"Very funny, AJ," Rainbow snorted. "But yes, I know what this is. And Twilight should know, too. Don't you remember, Twilight? The cover of book seven…"

"Book… seven?" Twilight asked. But then her eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "Of course! Daring Do and the Desert Ruins! This is the symbol seen on the book's cover…"

"Wait, what?" I asked. "You're talking about that book series my daughter mentioned? That's impossible. This is an emblem I've seen in Hyrule… the land I was in before coming back here."

"Are you sure about that?" Twilight asked. "I've seen the book a hundred times, it's standing in my library. I know exactly what it looks like, and this is it." She pointed at the cloth. "Maybe the emblem you mean just looks similar?"

I shook my head. "It's not just similar. It's absolutely identical! The emblem of the Gerudo tribe… I've been in their fortress. They have it everywhere: On the buildings, on their clothes, even on the membership card they gave to Link."

"It's true, I remember it as well," Navi nodded.

"But… you couldn't BOTH be right… right?" Applejack asked in confusion.

"There are only two explanations," Twilight said. "Either one of us is wrong, or… or this tribe you mentioned must have some sort of connection to the ruins Daring Do is visiting in this book. According to her adventures, she found some mysterious, ancient ruins in the Diamond Desert… where she found this emblem everywhere on the ruined buildings."

"But I thought those books were just stories," I said, very confused. "You make it sound like this Daring Do actually exists and the author of this book wrote down her actual adventures."

I saw how my daughter and her friends exchanged a knowing smile.

* * *

After another thorough search of the spa, we were unable to find any other sort of clue, except for the piece of cloth. So we decided to leave for now. Fluttershy was visibly flustered after what happened and she quietly asked Twilight if it was okay for her to go home. In the end, Pinkie and Navi decided to escort and comfort her. Navi seemed worried for her new friend, and Pinkie… well, after what happened I could tell that she needed some comfort as well.

I was unsure on what to do next. From what Applejack's friends told me, the author of these books actually IS the real Daring Do, who wrote down her adventures under a monicker. Since we had no clue as to where Link and their unicorn friend had disappeared to, visiting Daring Do seemed like the only possibility we had.

However, I had a different kind of problem waiting for me as soon as we stepped outside the spa building. And that problem was Granny Smith.

Both me and Applejack were taken aback by the stern look she gave me. I had to take only one look into her eyes and I could tell: She knew!

"Applejack!" the Apple matriarch shouted. "Home, now!"

"Wh-what?" Twilight stuttered. "Excuse me, Granny Smith… b-but we have a very big problem on our hooves right now and we need every pony…"

"I'm sorry, princess," Granny said. "But this is a very important Apple family matter. Everything else must wait."

Twilight looked like she wanted to protest, but she meekly nodded and stepped back. I saw Granny Smith could be as intimidating as ever. She even made an alicorn princess back off. As for Applejack, she gave her friends an apologetic smile and ran home.

Granny Smith walked up to me, slowly. She was smaller than me, but I still felt intimidated.

"Cup Cake just brought home Apple Bloom and her friends, to watch over them. Can you imagine my surprise when she told me the young mare I welcomed this morning was the long-lost daughter I cried countless nights over?"

"Mother, I can explain…" I started.

"You bet yer shiny golden, three-pointed hindquarters you will!" she shouted. "You will come home and explain everything… not just to me, but to your children as well. Didn't you think for one second they didn't deserve to see their mother after such a long time? Didn't you think they deserve to know the truth about where she was? Did you think one second about those young fillies and that colt? You sure as applesauce can explain! And you will move yer flank over to yer son and daughters and explain things to them right NOW!"

I sighed. I knew I could never win a discussion or argument with Granny Smith. And within me, I knew she was right. I had my reasons for not telling them the truth, but they were egoistical reasons. She was right, they had every right to know.

"Excuse me, girls," I said to my daughter's friends. "I need to take care of something. Could you wait a while before heading to Daring Do?"

"Of course" Twilight said. "Take your time. We don't know what will happen to Rarity and your friend, but we don't exactly have a clue yet."

"Well okay, but I will write a letter so she knows we're coming," Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight nodded. "And I will inform the princess. She must know what is going on in her kingdom."

"Okay… see you later," I said and followed Granny Smith home. I honestly felt like a young filly again, who was scolded after doing something bad. Even though I was a full-grown mare. Even as a pony, I towered over my mother-in-law's old and frail body. I was also much more muscular as when I last met her. As we walked, she examined me very carefully.

"Should have recognized you right away when y'all appeared at Sweet Apple Acres," she grumbled. "I blame my damned muddled old brain and yer new looks. But you've still got those shiny blue eyes… the eyes my son fell in love with. But other than that and yer colors… Confound it, girl, where the hay have you been and what did ya do to yerself?"

"I was on an adventure, mother," I sighed. "I fought monsters… helped a good friend of mine… As for the cutie mark, I can't really tell."

"Hmmmm… that friend of yours… he's not sweet on you, is he?"

I blushed. "Wh-what? No, we're just friends!"

Satisfied, she nodded. "Good. Don't wanna explain to the kids that their mother ran off with another stallion. Did you ever think once of coming back to your family?"

"It's not as easy as that, mother," I muttered. "Believe me, if I knew sooner there was a way back home, I would have taken it."

She grunted. "Well, I believe you for now. You've always been an honest one… that's where Applejack got it from. I'm still upset because you lied to me, though."

We arrived at the farm. Granny just pointed at the door, and with a deep sigh, I opened.

Inside, my heart jumped a bit again. I saw Apple Bloom and her two friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, sitting at the table, each having a slice of apple pie. Usually, my mouth would have watered by now. No pony can make a pie as delicious as Granny Smith. But I was distracted by my third child who was sitting with them… Big Macintosh. By Celestia, had he grown big and strong. He only gave me a look of confusion when I entered. Applejack, who was sitting next to him, only gave me a half-hearted smile. Apparently, she hadn't told either of them the truth yet. Which made sense… I'm the one who was supposed to tell them, of course.

Granny Smith walked in behind me and closed the door. Apple Bloom swallowed the bite of pie she had in her mouth and smiled at me. "Howdy again, Miss Romani. Yer here to buy some apples after all? Or do ya wanna try some of Granny's pie?"

Scootaloo mumbled something, but her mouth was full.

"She says it's very good," Sweetie helpfully translated the pegasus' pie-induced mumbling.

Granny coughed a bit. "Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo? Could you two come with me for a moment?"

Scootaloo gulped down her pie. "What? Why?" she asked.

Granny tried to come up with an excuse. "Because… I have some leftover jars of Zap Apple Jam in the pantry you two could take home with ya."

"Oh, yummy!" Sweetie Belle shouted with excitement as she jumped off her chair. Together, she and Scootaloo ran after Granny Smith, which left me alone with my three children.

Apple Bloom wanted to run after her friends, but Applejack stopped her. "Sugarcube… wait a second. There's something we need to tell y'all. You too, Big Mac."

"Huh? Really? What is it? Is it about Miss Romani?" Apple Bloom asked. Big Macintosh hadn't said a word up to now, but he was just as confused as his little sister as he looked at me.

I took a deep breath. "I… wasn't quite honest with you when we met, Apple Bloom. My name isn't really Romani, Apple Bloom. And I'm not a stranger at all. I met all of you before… even though you were too young to remember." I affectionally ruffled Bloom's mane a bit. "You see, my true name is… it's Epona. Epona Apple."

For a while, everyone was silent. Apple Bloom was still as confused as before.

Big Macintosh, however, stood up to his feet. "Mother?" he asked in his deep voice.

Uncertain on what to say, I just nodded. I was startled when he suddenly came around the table, almost throwing over one of the chairs, and grabbed me in the gentlest hug you could imagine from such a big and powerful stallion. He didn't say anything, but his shoulders were shaking.

"Big… Macintosh?" I asked and looked up at him. I saw tears in the corners of his eyes. I felt a huge amount of guilt in my chest at that moment. How could I have ever consider leaving these children of mine behind? How could I take away their only chance to see their mother again… OUR only chance to be a family again?

Tears started flowing out of my eyes as well. "I'm so… so sorry, son…" I whispered. "So sorry…"

"Sssshhh," he said. "Yer home now… that's all that matters. Eyup…"

How I had longed to hear that word from my little boy again.

Applejack hadn't moved yet, though I could tell she had a hard time not to run up to us and join the family hug. She was still standing at Apple Bloom's side. The little filly was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Mom?" she asked. "Is that really you?"

I looked up from Big Mac's shoulder and smiled at her with teary eyes. "It is, seedling… it is me… I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Seedling. The little affectionate word we always called her after she was born. She was so tiny back then and we always had all our hopes in her, like in a little seed that still had to grow into a big and strong apple tree. I never thought she would remember such a small word from when she was a baby, but it was this word that brought back flashes of memory.

"MOMMY!" she cried as she ran at me, as sudden as Big Mac. Like him, she clung to me desperately, as if she wanted to stop me from running away. But I knew that wouldn't be necessary. I would stay here, with them. I reached out to her with my right hoof while my left one was still around Big Mac's broad shoulder. In comparison to him, she was so tiny…

Applejack couldn't help herself anymore and she ran up to us as well, hugging the three of us at once, joining us as we cried tears of happiness.

I had them back. I had my children back.

* * *

"Dear Princess Celestia,

I must inform you that something important has happened that needs all of our attention right away. My friend Rarity has vanished, alongside a stallion from a foreign land. They were last seen in the Ponyville Day Spa, which we found completely abandoned… abandoned except for a group of undead skeleton ponies. From my studies, I know this means there has to be a necromancer running loose. The threat of the skeletons has been dealt with, but I still fear for the safety of Rarity. My friend and I have found a lead on where we could start our search. However, I felt obligated to inform you about these worrisome events. I also request for a platoon of guards to be dispatched to Ponyville, for the safety of the inhabitants. If there is a maleficent necromancer running wild, we cannot take any chances. I'm sorry I don't have any more information about this, except that the culprit might come from a land called Hyrule. I have never heard from such a country or read about it in my books, but I thought that if there is a pony who might know that land, it must be you. Please inform us if you have any kind of information that might help us.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

Celestia put down the letter she had just received via dragon mail. "Hyrule…" she muttered to herself. "It's been a long time since I've heard that name before… a very long time."

She put the letter down and started pacing through her chambers. Through a window, she could see her sister Luna standing on a balcony, using her magic to raise the moon for the night. She knew she had to tell her about these disconcerting news. During her long absence, Luna had never heard anything about that kingdom. She had to be informed about everything Celestia knew.

But for now, there was one other, urgent matter she had to take care of. She made sure that every door and window was shut tight and, to be on the safe side, she cast a spell that stopped all sounds from getting out of this room. Afterwards, she looked up into the air and shouted:

"Farore! If you or any of your sisters hear me, I want you to move your sorry flanks here right now!"

For a moment, it seemed as if her words were unheard. But then, a flashing, emerald green light appeared in the middle of the room. And in its middle, an alicorn started materializing. It had a long, flowing mane not unlike Celestia's, but it was just as green as the light. Her coat was as brown as that of an old forest tree.

"Celestia!" the alicorn said with a smile. "Why, I haven't seen you in eons. To call me on such short notice… what's the occasion?"

Celestia snorted angrily. "Don't play dumb with me, Farore! I want answers and I want them now."

Farore tilted her head. "You seem upset… and tense. Do you want some tea? I just attended one of Palutena's late night partys and she has this exquisite tea made of…"

"Don't you change the subject," Celestia shouted. "I haven't called you here for a casual visit. One of my subjects has gone missing, and as far as I know, the culprit is someone from YOUR realm!"

That took the other alicorn by surprise. "You mean… from Hyrule?"

"Yes! Care to explain how this is possible? I thought we agreed to always keep the borders closed. No resident of either realm shall be allowed to cross them. Isn't that what we agreed on, last time we met?"

"I see. You are under the impression that little old me has something to do with this," Farore chuckled. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you either how this happened."

"How can you not know?" Celestia asked. "Hyrule is the world you and your sisters created… it is under your supervision. How could something of this magnitude happen without you noticing it?"

Farore frowned. "I may be a goddess, but I'm not omnipotent, Celestia. You should know. Can you tell what what's happening everywhere in your kingdom at every time?"

"Well… no… but you have Din and Nayru to help you. This shouldn't have happened!"

"Oh, so you're saying that my sisters and I must have everything under control. I see. Good to know that you managed to accomplish the same thing with your sister… oh, wait a minute! You didn't! You sent her to the moon!"

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING THAT UP NOW!" Celestia yelled as she glared at Farore. "What happened to Luna was NOT my fault!"

"Oh really? I'm sorry, I must have mistaken you for another alicorn princess who DIDN'T NOTICE HOW MUCH HER OWN SISTER WAS SUFFERING!"

"YOU LITTLE…"

"Sister, would you kindly keep your voice down? Wasn't it you who told me that the royal canterlot voice is a thing of the past?" a calm voice spoke up.

Both Celestia and Farore were surprised as they turned their heads and saw Luna standing next to them. "L-luna?" Celestia stuttered. "H-how did you get in here?"

"Oh please," the princess of the night chuckled. "Remember when we were little fillies? You always tried to lock me out of your room with magic locks, but I was always able to pick them. Now, will you tell me who your friend is and whether or not I should be worried if the two of you might start blowing up the castle?"

Both goddesses suddenly realized just how much their divine auras had started flaring up during their little argument. Embarrassed, they reduced them back to their normal, invisible for the mortal eye standard.

Farore was still surprised, though. "Luna?" she asked. "Y-you are here? Not banished? And free from any kind of corruption?"

"Yes. And since everypony in Equestria must know this by now, you must not be from Equestria. May I ask for your name?"

"This is Farore, Luna," Celestia introduced the goddess. "Daughter of Hylia and protector of Hyrule."

"I… never heard these names before," Luna admitted.

"I will tell you everything… but first, we need to deal with a big problem," Celestia said.

"Two big problems, actually," Farore agreed. "I suggest you deal with the case of your missing subject and I will try to find out who managed to cross the borders… and how he managed to do that. You know I hate to get directly involved with mortals, but this is serious."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "And what about your tea party with Palutena."

"She can wait. For now, I need to speak with my sisters. Farewell!" And she disappeared in another flash of green.

Luna blinked. "You have interesting friends."

* * *

Rarity was not having a good day.

It started pretty hectic, with a big order of dresses she had to finish in a short time for one of her more important customers. The day got worse when Opalescence laid down on one of the finished dresses, getting cat hair all over it. After taking a lunch break, she thought she had put the worst behind her as she actually managed to finish the order ahead of schedule. But the worst was yet to come.

Everything seemed to be wonderful when she met a quite charming and handsome stallion in her boutique, a gentlecolt who gave her inspiration the boost she needed. On top of that, he agreed to accompany her to a relaxing afternoon at the spa. But did she have a wonderful time? No, she was kidnapped by the ponies she believed to be some of her oldest friends. And now, late in the evening, she sat in a dirty old cage on a very uncomfortable, shaking carriage, when she was supposed to be with her family in one of her favorite restaurants.

Now she was getting hungry, too.

She was about to ask if her day could get any worse, but experience told her that asking such a question meant tempting fate. So she didn't do it. Instead, she looked outside, in-between the bars of her cage and asked in a whiny voice: "Are we there yet?"

"Why, are you eager to reach our destination?" Lotus asked from the front. "Do you know what we are going to do to you, Miss Rarity? Do you know what the ritual involves?"

Rarity flinched. "On second thought, take your time. There's no need to rush."

"On the contrary. Surely, our partners are already waiting for us. We should hurry."

"Sister," Aloe interjected. "We are approaching the city. We should constrain them. And get rid of the golems."

"Right, we don't want everypony to see our precious cargo and ask silly questions," Lotus nodded. She jumped off the cart and stood in front of the bulky ponies that were pulling it. She chanted a couple of strange-sounding words, and the ponies turned into sand. She then turned to face the prisoners. "Oh, in case you think of shouting for help…" The gem on her headband started glowing, and for a moment, Rarity felt like her throat was strangulated. She gasped, but no sound left her muzzle. Confused, she turned to Link and tried speaking to him… but nothing happened. Her lips moved, but that was it.

"A little silencing spell," Aloe explained. "Sorry we have to do this, but there is just too much on the line for us." And after that, everything went dark. A big blanket was put over the cage.

Rarity sighed. Up to now, she had at least been able to converse. But now, she couldn't even speak with her fellow captive. So now boredom was added to her already bad day, too.

She saw Link shuffling around and watched as he tried to take a look outside. On one side of the cage, the blanket didn't properly cover everything. Moonlight was shining through a thin gap, into the cage. Rarity heard the clopping of hooves, lots of voices and the wheels of many carriages. Where had the twins brought them?

Link peeked through the small gap. After a while, he waved Rarity over and let her take a look as well. She was very surprised as she realized that she recognized the city they were going through: It was Manehattan!

"Where is the harbor?" they heard Aloe mumble. "Is there still time?"

"It's that way," Lotus replied quietly. "Don't worry, the boat won't leave without us. But calm down, you'll attract unwanted attention."

After a while, the carriage stopped. Rarity heard the cries of seagulls nearby and the air smelled like salt.

"Come on, it's that ship over there. Let's tell him we're here. He and his men can bring those two on board, we did more than enough by bringing them here."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to just leave them here?"

"Hey, it's not like they can espace."

* * *

Coco Pommel was having a very nice day.

It started with a delicious breakfast. Shortly afterwards, she took a look at her daily mail. And to her joy and surprise, she found out that one of the merchants overseas she had contacted was very interested in the dress patterns she had sent him… the patterns she had from her new friend, the designer Rarity. All she had to do was to bring him one of the copies Rarity had generously left with her. The only problem was, he was living in Saddle Arabia… and there were no trains going there. Which meant she had to take a ship.

But her good day continued when she stumbled across a certain somepony on the street, a sailor who was a good friend of her late father… and he agreed to take her on his ship. And on top of that, he invited her for a drink in his favorite tavern at the harbor, right next to the docks.

When she left the tavern, feeling a little tipsy but also warm and fuzzy on the inside, it was already late and the moon was shining over Manehattan, big and bright.

'So big…' she thought to herself. 'Almost looks like it's going to fall down on top of the city.' She giggled a bit at her silliness and started walking. She felt a bit nervous, walking past the old warehouses. But she was certain that she would probably be all right as soon as she'd reach the street, where she'd call for a cab to take her home.

She came past a parked carriage, when she started stumbling. "Whoa… I better think twice before trying out rum in the future," she muttered as she leaned against the cart. The big box or whatever it was that was standing on the carriage, slid a bit sidewards. The blanket covering it also slid off a bit, revealing that it was, in fact, a cage.

She was also looking at her friend Rarity, who was sitting inside that cage. For a moment, Coco thought she had drunk enough to hallucinate, but she saw Rarity let out a silent gasp and she frantically waved her hooves at Coco.

"Rarity? Is that… is that you?" Coco asked. The white unicorn nodded and made some more gestures with her hooves, pointing to the padlock that was keeping the cage closed.

"What happened? Who put you in here? Can't you talk?" Seeing her friend in distress made Coco very nervous and upset. "Oh, what am I supposed to do? A… a key? There's a key? But where? I… Oh Rarity, I can't find it. Who did this to you? And where are they?"

Rarity pointed in the direction where the twins had left. "That yacht over there? I heard it belongs to a Dr. Caballeron… a very rich stallion. Oh, in what did you get yourself into now?"

The stallion that was in the cage with Rarity pointed at the ship, then the lock. Coco understood at once what he wanted from her. Her eyes widened with fear. "M-me? Get the key from them? Oh no no no, I can't do that. I'm not a very brave pony…" Her legs started shaking.

Rarity reached out of the cage and gently patted Coco's head. Using her magic, she then took hold of a stick lying on the ground and started writing in the dirt.

'TELL MY FRIENDS' she wrote.

"B-but I can't just leave you here… those ponies that captured you… if they do anything to you… AH! Somepony's coming! I'm so, so sorry, Rarity, but I better leave… I'm going to tell the others. Don't you worry." And she ran away, as fast as her little hooves could carry her.

Just a moment later, the twins returned. At their side was a dark stallion with an unshaved chin, who was followed by an assortment of male ponies who looked quite brutish, in Rarity's eyes.

"So, you are certain that these two are the ones we are looking for?" the stallion asked in an accented voice.

"At least one of them," Lotus replied. "The other one is an old nuisance we need to get rid of. Now, bring the cage on board!" she told the thugs.

They didn't move. "My boys know I would never let them accept orders from anyone… If you want their assistance, we need to discuss the matter of payment first."

"Caballeron… Didn't Ahuizotl tell you you'd be paid as soon as you brought the prisoner to him?" Aloe frowned.

"That's Dr. Caballeron!" the stallion frowned. "And we agreed on ONE prisoner. What I see here are two. More prisoners, more bits. It's easy, isn't it?"

Lotus rolled her eyes. "Very well, your fee will be doubled. But we can only pay you after we reach Saddle Arabia. Now can your men hurry up? We don't have all night."

"That's fine with me," Caballeron nodded. "All right, boys. You heard the ladies." With a smile, he turned to look at the prisoners. "Just so you know, this is nothing personal. But business is business."

He nodded towards his men, and the cage was carried to the yacht.


	10. Sages and Princesses

"And that's how Link defeated the feral fire dragon all by himself."

The three fillies' eyes went wide as I finished my story. "Wooooooow…"

"I have the coolest mom ever!" Apple Bloom shouted as she gave my neck another hug, probably the sixth or seventh one of the morning. I couldn't help but smile proudly. She was right, wasn't she? Not every little filly's mother could claim being an experienced adventurer.

"Maybe that's what I'm going to be when I'm growing up," Scootaloo grinned. "A dragon slayer… I'd have a cool sword and everything. Hey, you think Spike would let me practice on him?"

"But that's dangerous, isn't it?" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "I mean, you heard Mrs. Apple. Dragons are big and scary and breathe fire…

"Aw, come on, I could totally take 'em," Scootaloo smirked. I shook my head with a sigh. Children…

"The three of you have still a lot of growing up to do," I told them. "Don't rush things. Enjoy your childhood as long as you can."

Apple Bloom tilted her head. "But Mom, didn't you just tell us you already helped Link when you both were young."

I grimaced and chose my next words carefully. "That… was different, you know? Besides, we really had no choice. And Hyrule is a much more dangerous country than Equestria. Much safer, too."

"If it's so safe, why do we have to stay here?" Scootaloo asked.

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah, why can't we come along and help save Rarity?"

Great, I was outmaneuvered by little fillies. "Listen, kids… it's really not a good idea for you to come along. I don't think there will be any dragons, but there are more things out there that could harm you. And unlike you, I've been in battles before."

"But you can protect us," Apple Bloom protested.

"I'm sorry, Apple Bloom, but no means no," I said firmly. "I can't take you with me."

"But you just came back," she shouted. "I don't want you to leave again… can't I come? Pretty please?" She looked up at me with the biggest eyes.

"Honey, the puppy dog eyes are not going to work. Applejack gave me those all the time when she was your age."

"Dang," she muttered. "Oh well, it was worth a shot. But you'll watch yerself, won't you?"

I smiled at her. "I promise."

Applejack came into the room. "Mom, I've packed everything. Ya ready to leave?"

I nodded and gave Apple Bloom another hug. "Don't worry, seedling. I'll be back. Be good now, you hear me?"

She nodded and I ruffled that adorable bow of hers. "That's a good girl. See you girls later." And then we left.

Scootaloo walked up to Apple Bloom. "We're going after them, right?"

Apple Bloom smirked. "Of course."

* * *

Celestia had just raised the sun when we met Twilight and Rainbow in front of the library, which was apparently also where Twilight lived. I thought it was a very strange place for a princess to live, but I decided not to show my surprise.

"Where are Pinkie and Fluttershy?" Applejack asked.

"Still at Fluttershy's cottage. She's so shaken by what happened, I doubt she'd come along. Pinkie and Navi are trying to cheer her up," Twilight said.

"And what about you girls? Did y'all take care of everything? Can we go after Rarity?"

Rainbow nodded. "I just came back from Daring Do. I told her what happened, and as soon as I mentioned the Saddle Arabian symbol, she told me to meet up with her in Manehattan."

"The Gerudo symbol," I corrected her. "And didn't you say her house is miles away from here? How did you get there and back here so fast?"

"Saddle Arabian, Gerudo, whatever…" the pegasus muttered. "And flying that distance in a short time with no pony to slow me down? Easy peasy!" She smirked.

"Why exactly Manehattan?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I dunno, but she sounded pretty agitated. Doesn't really matter, y'know? Knowing that Daring Do needs the help of her number one assistant is enough for me to dash at her side."

"Now you're starting to sound like Spike," Twilight said. "But Manehattan is actually perfect. Remember Coco, Rarity's new friend? I just received a letter from her. You wanna know what she saw at the Manehattan harbor?" She looked at me. "Rarity and your friend, imprisoned in a cage by a bunch of tough-looking stallions. She watched how they took them on a boat. And get this: The owner of that boat was none other than Caballeron!"

"That shady guy who took the golden ring from Daring Do?" Applejack frowned. "Now I know something bad is going on."

"There's no time to waste," I said. "We have to take the next train to Manehattan."

"You got it!" Rainbow nodded. "Let's go, girls!"

But just before we could leave, the library door opened and someone shouted: "Twilight, wait!"

I blinked in surprise. That was a dragon. A very small and young dragon, but still. "Who's that?" I wondered.

"That's my assistant, Spike," Twilight explained. "Spike, what is it? You know we don't have much time."

"I know that, but… this letter from Princess Celestia just arrived," the little dragon said. Curiously, Twilight levitated the scroll out of his hand and unrolled it.

"Can't this wait?" I sighed. "We really need to get going."

"Just a moment… Celestia normally only writes when it's really important. Oh… you guys… I need to go to Canterlot. She needs me there. You have to go without me."

"What? Now?" Rainbow shouted. "For real? I mean, I respect the princess and all, but we're kinda in the middle of a rescue mission here."

"Do ya really have to go, Twi?" Applejack asked. "We could really use those alicorn powers of your to kick some bad guys' tails."

"I'm sorry, but this sounds very urgent. Also… she asked me to bring along one of our guests from Hyrule."

"Well, you'll have to ask Navi," I frowned. "I'm not available at the moment." I had the utmost respect for the sovereign ruler of Equestria, but there's no way I would abandon Link just because of a letter.

"That's probably the best idea," Twilight nodded. "She didn't exactly say that she needs all of you. I'll bring Navi to her, and as soon as I'm done, I'll go after you guys."

"Yeah, but how will you find us if we aren't in Manehattan anymore after that?" Rainbow asked.

I saw the princess smirk. "Find and search spell. Won't be a problem."

"Maybe I should go, too," Spike spoke up. "You guys need all the help you can get, right?"

"Ya sure about this, lil fella?" Applejack asked him. "It's going to be mighty dangerous."

"That's just it, Rarity might be in danger!" Spike said. "I can't just sit there and do nothing. I must save her!"

"Why is that dragon so worried about Rarity?" I quietly asked my daughter.

"See, Mom… Spike here is good friends with all of us. But Rarity always had a special place in his heart. He has this huge crush on her, ya know? He can't stand to see her in danger. Never could."

I had to admit, that seemed pretty weird to me. A pony and a dragon? How was that supposed to work? But when I looked into the little guy's eyes, I saw something I had seen before. Twice, actually.

There were two girls in Link's past that beared special feelings for the young Hylian: Saria of the Kokiri and Princess Ruto of the Zora. But both of them eventually realized that they could never have such a relationship with the Hero of Time after finding out that they were sages of Hyrule. This little dragon seemed to feel towards Rarity just like they felt towards Link. Now I had to wonder: Would he eventually come to the same conclusion as the two girls, or would he continue to follow this route?

I shook my head. There was no time to think about such things. "Listen up, everypony. I'm leaving now. We already wasted more than enough time. So whoever wants to come with me to Manehattan has to come now."

"Perfect!" Spike said as he put on a tiny backpack. "I packed everything I need, let's go."

Twilight sighed. "Might not be such a bad idea, actually. This way, you guys can stay in contact with me and the other princesses. I'll see you soon… just watch yourselves, okay?"

"With me around, what could possibly go wrong?" Rainbow Dash asked with a cocky grin. "See ya."

And finally, we were off.

* * *

A young-looking girl with green hair stood on a drawbridge leading over a moat, looking up from her map at the big gate in front of her.

"So, according to Princess Zelda's instructions, this must be Hyrule Castle Town," she murmured to herself. "Everything's so big… kind of frightening. How can Hylians live in a place like this?"

She knew about her destiny as the Sage of the Forest for many years by now, but she never actually had to leave the forest. Whenever there was something important the sages had to discuss, they always chose the chamber of the sages as their meeting place. And this place could be reached from the five temples in Hyrule, including the Temple of Time. But now, the princess had summoned all of the sages to Hyrule Castle, for a very important meeting.

Saria now knew she didn't have to fear being turned into a Stalchild after leaving the forest. She also wasn't as afraid of monsters as she used to be, Mido had started teaching her how to use the Kokiri Sword. And then there were her powers as a sage. Still, she felt intimidated as she stood in front of the big city. It was so different from everything she knew.

A loud splash coming from her right startled her. A sleek, blue figure came leaping out of the water, did an elegant roll in mid-air and landed safely on her feet. Saria smiled when she recognized Ruto, princess of the Zoras.

"So, you are here already," the sage of water said as she approached the smaller girl. "Do you have any idea why Zelda called us here?"

"No, but I'm sure she will tell us as soon as we get to her," Saria said.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"W-well…" Saria looked through the gate, to where the noise from the marketplace was coming from. "Can we just go through here? You've never been here either, right?"

"No, but I don't see what the big deal is," Ruto shrugged. "I mean, after everything that happened, they have to know we are allies. So no problem, right?"

Saria still felt insecure, but at least now she had a companion. So she nodded and followed her fellow sage inside the town walls.

As soon as they set foot on the marketplace, people started to look at them with wide eyes. Gasps and murmurs were starting to get loud all around them.

"What's their problem?" Ruto muttered with a frown as she looked around. "It's like they've never seen a Zora before."

"M-ma'am!" one of the guards shouted as he came running at them with rattling armor. His face was as red as a tomato. "P-please excuse me, ma'am, but you simply can't run around here like this."

Ruto looked down at herself. "What, am I dirty or anything? I see nothing on me."

"Th-that's exactly the problem, ma'am!" The soldier blushed. "You, um… you aren't wearing any clothes. You need to cover yourself up, or do you want to be arrested for indecent exposure?"

"WHAT?" Ruto shrieked. "How dare you? I'm the princess of the Zoras, and the Sage of Water!"

"Ruto, please calm down," Saria tried to appease her friend.

"But did you hear what he's saying? Back at home, we NEVER have to put on these… obstructive piles of fabric they call clothing."

More murmurs and whispers were getting loud among them. Saria couldn't make out all the details, but she heard phrases like "I knew it, those Zoras have no shame!" or "What scandalous behavior!" or even "That fish woman is such a hussy!" She was very glad Ruto didn't seem to hear at least that last one.

"A thousand pardons, your highness," the hapless soldier sweated. "But please put on this robe. You would do me and yourself a great favor."

"Just do it, Ruto," Saria whispered. "It's not worth making a great fuss about it."

"Oh, all right," Ruto huffed. "But I'll have you know that I will tell Princess Zelda about this." And she grabbed the simple, blue robe the guard was offering her and reluctantly put it on.

Princess Zelda let her gaze sweep across the castle's big entrance hall. Darunia of the Gorons, Sage of Fire, as well as Nabooru of the Gerudo, Sage of Spirit, were already present. Right next to the princess stood Rauru, Sage of Light, and her bodyguard and handmaiden Impa, Sage of Shadows. Then, the main gate opened and the majordomo announced the arrival of Saria and Princess Ruto.

Zelda smiled and slowly walked down the big staircase to welcome her guests, but before she could say anything, Ruto opened her mouth and shouted: "What the hell is wrong with your people, Zelda? Are they so prudish that they are unable to appreciate a bit of my natural Zora beauty? I hope for everyone's sake that I don't have to wear this rag everytime I come for a visit." Visibly annoyed, she pulled at the robe she was wearing. "It's so itchy and confining…"

Darunia let out a hearty laugh. "Yes, I ran into similar problems, princess. And then the guards had trouble finding some pants that actually fit a Goron. We just have to accept that the Hylian culture is different from ours. And maybe they get used to our customs in time."

Nabooru smirked. "Wouldn't actually bother me if they lifted their strict dressing code a bit. Even I got some stares on the street for my outfit. Some of those men on the street acted like they never saw a woman before. I wouldn't mind seeing them shirtless."

Zelda blushed a crimson red and Impa cleared her throat. "Can we please get on topic? The princess has called all of you here for a very important matter."

"Yes," Zelda nodded. "Hyrule is facing a pivotal point in history and we, the seven sages, must be prepared for what is coming."

"What's going on?" Saria asked. "What are you talking about?"

Zelda made a short pause. "I had a vision tonight."

The sages looked at each other. They all knew that Princess Zelda's visions should be taken seriously. And they usually tend to come true.

"It was a message, actually. From another country… another world, even. A kingdom situated in another dimension… and tonight, I was contacted by one of the two rulers over this kingdom, Princess Luna."

"Another world?" Nabooru frowned. "Why have we never heard of this before?"

"Because we never knew this world really existed," Rauru explained. "Up to now, all we ever heard of this world was from legends and myths. It was only yesterday that we actually had proof of its existence."

"I thought this… Princess Luna contacted you tonight," Ruto said with a frown. "How could you know before?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Zelda said. "But to cut a long story short, Link met a resident of this other world, Equestria… How she got here, that part is still uncertain. But he agreed to help this person and we helped him finding a portal leading to Equestria."

"Wait a minute, Link left on a new adventure?" Saria asked and groaned. "Typical… he visits another world and never tells me before leaving. So, you're saying he left yesterday?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes. And I haven't heard from him until last night, when I was sleeping in my bed. Princess Luna apparently has the power to speak to other people in their dreams. That's how she managed to contact me. Apparently, Link's visit in Equestria called their attention to the existence of Hyrule, and they decided to form political ties between our kingdoms. I, as the princess of Hyrule, told her that it is not up to me alone to make that decision. As the seven sages who protect Hyrule, and representatives of your respective people, I have called you here today to invite you to a summit held in Equestria, where we discuss the future of our two worlds with Princesses Celestia, Luna and Twilight Sparkle."

For a moment, the sages were too dumbstruck to say anything. Then, Darunia clapped his hands together and it sounded like a rockslide. "All right, I guess that means I should get ready to pack. You think they've got rock sirloin over there?"

* * *

"So what you're telling me is that you invited a group of seven outsiders from another realm to our castle, to discuss further negotiations between our nations, yes?"

Luna looked at the bewildered face of her older sister and nodded. "That is correct."

Celestia shook her head with indignation as she paced around the room. "Why, Luna, why? After everything I discussed with Farore, you go and do a thing like that? We wanted to keep interaction between our realms as brief as possible."

"See, sister, that is the problem. When you say 'you', you are talking about yourself and Farore. You didn't ask me for my opinion. You didn't even explain everything to me, even after I met Farore for the first time. The only thing you said was 'I need a drink' and then you vanished within your chambers."

"Wh-what did you expect me to do? I was overwhelmed by the situation, I had no idea that someone from Hyrule would appear in Equestria and that I would be forced to deal with Farore again."

"Yes, that is the second point. Farore. Remember how you told me that she's part of a triumvirate of celestial sisters? Triumvirate, meaning THREE! Meaning, she isn't the only one whose opinion should matter in this affair. And I happen to know that not all of her sisters agree with me."

"What?" Celestia looked at Luna with disbelief. "How do you know that?"

"I talked to Nayru last evening. It was very enlightening. Turns out she never was quite satisfied with the decision of closing the borders between our realms. But you, Farore and Din outvoted her. Now, I do believe I have the right to vote for myself, now that I am back. Correct?"

Celestia took a deep breath. "Yes, Luna. Yes, you have the same rights as the rest of us. And if you want, we can always reevaluate. But why do you think the results would be different?"

"Nayru is convinced that the main reason that Din voted for the closing of the borders was that she felt uneasy voting against the sole ruler of Equestria. If that is true, then the results would indeed be different."

"Okay, okay, I get it. But you went and invited the delegates of Hyrule BEFORE we even had that vote. You… you two went over our heads!"

"I did inform you, didn't I? Also, Nayru and I agree that the residents of Hyrule have a right to speak for themselves. She and her sisters made a vow not to meddle with the affairs of mortals unless they absolutely have to. She and Din agreed that the vote must be held between all the princesses of Equestria and the Seven Sages of Hyrule. So, this meeting will determine whether we will hold future relations with the people of Hyrule, or not."

Celestia frowned. "You did this on purpose. You kept this meeting a secret from Farore and me so we had no chance to object."

Luna smirked. "As the old saying goes, all is fair in love and politics. You thought I would be getting rusty while being stuck on the moon, didn't you? You should get used to the fact that there are now more of us. Oh, and one more thing: I think it would be only fair to give both Cadance and Twilight the chance to get involved in otherworldly politics, don't you agree?" With a smile, the princess of the night turned around and left the room.

Disgruntled, Celestia sat down on her rump. As much as she loved her sister, her niece and her student, she hated not being in control of a situation. "Touché, sister…" she grumbled. "Touché…"


	11. The lost City of Lunartopia

Rarity never felt this hot before in her entire life.

"My boutique!" she gasped as she lay flat on the cage's floor. "My boutique for a glass of water!"

"It's not that bad," Link said. "You get used to it. Are you always this dramatic?"

"Dramatic?" Rarity whined? "Dramatic? I went days without a proper shower, manecut or hooficure. The only meals we are given are dry bread and warm water. And worst of all: I'm surrounded by a bunch of brutes who don't show a simple sign of fashionable sense." She gestured at the stallions who were pulling the cage through the hot desert. "Just look at those rags they're wearing!"

"A thousand pardons if my men insulted your sensitive eyes with their choice of attire, miss," Caballeron said in a mocking voice. "But if you've spent as much time in the heat of the desert as me, searching for ancient relics, you learn that the proper clothing might protect you from a heat stroke."

"Easy for you to say," Rarity grumbled. "You are sitting in a palanquin, carried by your underlings, enjoying a glass of whisky."

Caballeron smirked as he took a sip. "On the rocks, too. Would you care for a gulp? But no, no, no… this is the last bottle. I wouldn't want to waste it on prisoners." He turned to face the twins, who were, once again, sitting on top of the carriage. "It's not really my business, but what do you need these ponies for? This unicorn is a real beauty… it's a shame we have to carry her all the way through the desert."

Rarity was surprised. Did the stallion, despite his rough mannerisms, still have a soft side?

"You are right, it is none of your business," Lotus said. "You want your money, don't you? Then all you have to worry about is bringing us to the meeting place at the ruins. You know the way, right?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about a thing," the former archeologist smiled. "My men and I know these dunes like the back of our hooves. And I know Ahuizotl isn't one to betray his trade partners. Still, we are in Saddle Arabia. And I have the right connections here…" He looked back at Rarity. "A mare like this could sell for a good price on the local slave market."

Rarity's gasped when hearing that. "You FIEND! Is money everything you think about?"

"Why so shocked, my dear?" Caballeron asked. "I have learned that in this world, everything can be bought with money. Don't get me wrong though, I am deeply saddened to give a beauty like you away. But business is business, and I can't just ignore a sum of bits as big as the one Ahuizotl offered me."

"Don't bother, Rarity," Link grumbled. "People like him can't be reasoned with. Can you at least tell us where you're taking us?"

"The ruins of Lunartopia," Aloe said. "The ancient city of the moon."

"City of the moon?" Rarity asked.

"Did you never wonder how Nightmare Moon managed to get to power, Miss Rarity?" Aloe asked. "Know that 1000 years ago, most of Equestria's denizens praised the sun and Celestia as the supreme goddess. However, Luna did have some loyal followers. Most of them gathered here, in Saddle Arabia, and built a city to honor her. And in the middle of this city, they erected the Moon Temple. They then named this new desert city Lunartopia. After her ascension to Nightmare Moon, they wanted to make this her seat of power, at the time she would reign over Equestria in everlasting night. However, they could not predict that Celestia would banish her sister to the moon. For the longest time, Luna's loyalists waited, hoping that one day she would return. But more and more, doubt started to spread among them. They started to abandon the temple and the city, until only the loyalest of followers remained. And in the end, they died of old age and Lunartopia became a ghost town. As the sand started to cover the ruins, the ponies started to forget about the city."

Rarity was astonished. "I never heard this before… how do you know all this?"

"Simple," Lotus said as she looked back at them with a sneer. "The first who worshipped Luna were members of our tribe… the Gerudo."

* * *

Link and Rarity had no idea how long their journey through the desert had lasted… maybe it was several hours, maybe only one. But just when they thought the unendurable trek through the sweltering heat would never end, they reached the top of a particularly high sand dune… and they were able to look down at a mesmerizing sight: Countless buildings of stone, some of them half-buried in the sand of the desert. The city was big, almost bigger than Canterlot.

"The ancient city of Lunartopia," Aloe said. "We've reached our destination."

"Ahuizotl is waiting for us in the main temple," Caballeron said. "Let's not keep him waiting, men." He pointed ahead, and the little caravan kept on moving.

The two prisoners looked up in awe as their cage was pulled through the streets of a long-forgotten era. The building walls were littered with ancient hieroglyphs and pictures. And Link recognized a couple of them… they were the same symbols he had seen inside the Spirit Temple in the Haunted Wasteland, the giant desert of Hyrule. Among them was the symbol of the Gerudo tribe: The crescent moon.

"So it's true," he said. "The Gerudo have been in Equestria before."

"Our ancestors," Aloe said in a quiet voice. She seemed to be overwhelmed by the sight of the city as well. "Long before the gods decided to separate our worlds from each other, the Gerudo were a tribe of ponies that shared these deserts with the Saddle Arabian horses. Most of Lunartopia's citizens were Gerudo. But when Nightmare Moon was banished, so were we. But instead of sending our ancestors to the moon, Celestia decided to send them to another world instead. And the closing of the borders was supposed to prevent us from ever returning."

"You knew this all along? Even when you helped Ganondorf come to power?" Link asked her.

"Yes… Most of the Gerudo never knew about this secret. Not Nabooru and not even the great Ganondorf himself. But as the Gerudo tribe's elders, we were also its lorekeepers. We alone knew about our past."

"That's enough!" Lotus shouted. "Stop telling our archenemy our deepest secrets, sister."

"It's not like it's going to change anything," Aloe muttered.

"Well, you are right," Lotus nodded. "Very soon, he will die. And then he can't tell these secrets to anyone."

Finally, they reached the middle of the city. In front of their eyes rose the tallest building of the entire city, an ancient temple with huge pillars and dome-shaped rooftops. Even when they approached the building, Rarity was able to see the tall windows and the many eyes that were glowing in the darkness inside. And then she heard the hissing.

"Wh-what is that?" she shuddered. "What are those beasts?"

"I know those sounds," Link said. "These must be Lizalfos… dozens of them. Don't tell me their ancestors are from Equestria as well…"

"Oh no," Lotus said. "Our lord brought them here from Hyrule to support our cause. Even though they are now a bit different, after passing through the portal."

When they reached the temple's enormous main gate, Link saw that the witch was right: The Lizalfos looked almost like they did back in Hyrule, only now, they had turned into four-legged lizard beasts. None of them were armed… but Link had the feeling they didn't need to be, after seeing their sharp claws and fangs.

In the middle of the entrance, flanked by two Lizalfos-beasts, one of the strangest creatures Link had ever witnessed was waiting: A blue creature that looked like a mix between a primate and a canine, with a long snout, golden jewelry and a long tail that was curiously ending in a hand.

"Ahuizotl!" Rarity gasped.

"Well, well, well," the creature said in a deep voice. "If it isn't one of the ponies who helped Daring Do in the Fortress of Talicon. It's a small world, isn't it?"

"You know him?" Link asked.

"I wish I didn't," Rarity said with a snort. "He's a brutish fiend, that's what he is. No manners at all. Unfortunately, I can't tell you much more about him, Rainbow Dash is the expert on Daring Do's adventures," she sighed.

Ahuizotl then turned to Caballeron and the twin witches. "Took you long enough. The ritual is already prepared, everything is ready. The master is getting impatient… are these the sacrifices?"

"Indeed they are," Lotus said. "Were there any complications?"

"Not at all," Ahuizotl grinned. "These minions our master so graciously offered to me were more than enough to chase off anything that might disrupt the ritual. A good replacement for my former minions, who got all thrown into jail… curse that Daring Do!" He growled. "Oh well… just take them inside already."

"Not so fast," Caballeron said. "Or have you forgotten the matter of my payment?"

"You will get what I promised you, Caballeron," Ahuizotl said with a frown. "Even though I would prefer to see you boiled in olive oil after what you pulled the last time we wanted to do business."

Caballeron chuckled nervously. "I… I assure you I had no idea that this merchant was Daring Do in disguise…"

"And yet you tried selling that golden ring I entrusted you with," Ahuizotl snarled. "But… I am a lenient creature. Today, you brought me exactly what I asked for, and so you shall be rewarded. Your money is inside, so come along."

Ahuizotl, Caballeron and the witches went ahead, while the thugs and the Lizalfos followed behind them, still pulling the cage.

"Link… if you know a way to escape this situation, this would be a perfect moment to try it," Rarity whispered.

Link sighed. "I'm sorry, Rarity. At the moment, I have no idea what to do. We are stuck in this cage and they took all my equipment. I don't even know where they put the Master Sword…"

Then they reached the ritual chamber. It was a huge, circular room with multiple doorways leading to it. In the middle, several stair were leading up to a big stone altar. A big, lit brazier was standing nearby. More Lizalfos were crawling around the whole place.

"Hurry now, place the first prisoner on top of the altar," Ahuizotl said with a voice that was dripping with uncontained excitement. "Soon enough, our master will walk this world, and in his gratitude, he will bestow upon me the greatests of gifts…"

"Not so fast!" Lotus spoke up. "We still have to wait for His Lordship."

The creature made a face of disgust. "What, that self-obsessed show-off? We don't need him. The ritual can commence without him."

"I would be careful if I were you," Aloe frowned. "His Lordship does not easily condone insults of his name."

"Please…" Ahuizotl huffed. "What can he do that we cannot?"

"Oh, I could think of several things," a voice behind him said. Surprised, Ahuizotl turned around.

Both Link and Rarity looked at this newcomer. The unicorn stallion was white, tall and thin, and could even be called handsome. But his whole posture seemed to express a disdain for everypony in the room, except for maybe the Twinrova sisters. One of his eyes was covered by his slick, white hair and a crystal earring was dangling from his right ear. "Have you ever seen this stallion before?" Rarity whispered. Link shook his head.

"Forgive me for my late arrival," the stallion said. He moved his head and legs flamboyantly as he spoke. "I had to pick up a surprise visitor for our little get-together. However, I couldn't help but overhear that SOME of you seem to think my presence here is unnessecary…" He focussed his gaze on Ahuizotl.

The creature swallowed. "Oh… you must have misheard, Ghirahim. We are all very thankful for your efforts in our plan."

"That's LORD Ghirahim, you impudent whelp!" the unicorn snapped. Ahuizotl winced under the verbal assault and quickly nodded his head.

"Of course, of course! Lord Ghirahim! Please forgive that slip of my tongue."

"Now, what is this?" Caballeron asked, amusement in his voice. "The great Ahuizotl, cowering before somepony else? And I thought I've seen everything in my life."

Ahuizotl just glared at Caballeron, but didn't say anything. Lord Ghirahim, however, coolly let his gaze sweep across the doctor and his men. "Ahuizotl… who are these vermin that infest our ritual chamber?"

"Hey, you watch yer tone when speaking to the boss!" shouted one of Caballeron's henchmen, a big and burly earth pony. "He's here to collect the money Ahuizotl owes him for his help, not to talk to a wussy fruitcake like you."

Just one look from Ghirahim's eyes, and the thug knew he made a mistake. But it was too late… one glow of the unicorn's horn summoned a floating, red gemstone. A simple gesture with his hoof, and the gem imbedded itself into the henchpony's chest. A chortled gasp, a short flail of his legs, and then his body fell to the ground, devoid of any life.

Caballeron stared at his dead henchman's body with disbelief and Rarity let out a squeak of terror.

"It's really irritating when mice think they should speak to the lion," Ghirahim said. "Ahuizotl, I am now silently counting to ten. Whenever I reach zero, I want these pests gone!"

"W-wait a second here," Caballeron said. "I came all the way out here and brought you the ponies you asked for… I demand to be compensated for this. The contract never said anything about killing my men. You better hand over a larger sum of bits, or else…"

"Caballeron, just take your money and leave at once, you fool!" Ahuizotl hissed as he threw the doctor a small pouch of money.

Caballeron looked at the pouch, then at Ahuizotl, then at Ghirahim, then back at the dead pony in front of him. His business sense told him that he had the right to demand more than this, but his common sense told him that it would be very wise to accept the offer and remove himself from this place as far as he can. "S-s-sure…" he stuttered as he picked up the pouch. "P-pleasure doing b-business with you, s-sir…" He then turned around and ran out of the room as fast as he could, half-expecting the lizard creatures or the creepy unicorn stallion to attack him as he fled. His remaining men quickly ran after him.

"Finally," Ghirahim sighed as he looked down. "Now look at this mess. Do you know how annoying it can be to remove stains from the floor? Why did you go and have me do that?"

"You… you monster!" Rarity shouted. "You just KILLED that stallion and… and now you act like none of this is your fault? In all my life, I have never seen such brutality, such arrogance, such lack of compassion for another pony's life…"

"Would you cease your annoying whining at once, little white horse?" Ghirahim winced. "Listening to you makes me glad that you are our sacrifice… which means I don't have to listen to your insufferable voice for much longer. Goodness, this world is filled to the brim with filthy equines… and now my master forced me to take on the form of such a creature. Disgusting!" He looked down at his body and grimaced.

"Lord Ghirahim," Aloe said as she and her sister gave the unicorn a short bow. "It is an honor to be in the presence of our master's personal servant. If I may ask, did the master give you further instructions as on how we should act after the ritual is complete?"

"My dear little Gerudo witch," Ghirahim chuckled. "I think it would be best if you asked him yourself. After all, he wouldn't want to miss the banishment of the first of the sages for anything in the world."

"He… he will be here?" Ahuizotl asked with both worry and hope. "He… he did remember what he offered me in exchange for my neverending loyalty… right?"

"You should know better than to question the master," Ghirahim said. "But yes, you shall get what you asked for if everything turns out as we planned: One whole country of this world for you to govern over, completely basked in unending heat, for all eternity. That were your precise words, correct?"

"An eternity of neverending, sweltering heat…" Ahuizotl started giggling like a schoolboy at the prospect. "Yeeeeeesss…"

"Also, you might be happy to hear that I actually managed to do something that will probably sweeten the whole deal for you," Ghirahim smirked. And with a flash of his horn, he made something appear out of thin air: A large sack, completely tied up, and for some reason squirming like mad.

Reaching out with his tail-hand, Ahuizotl pulled the ropes loose… and grinned like a Cheshire cat when he saw the bound and gagged form of his archrival in front of him.

"Oh no!" Rarity gasped as she recognized the pony.

"Daring Do?" Ahuizotl laughed. "My, what a pleasant surprise. I should have known you would stuck your annoying little snout in my business again. This time, I will make sure it will be the last time."

Daring Do uttered a curse, which was muffled by the gag in her mouth.

"You know, I should be upset that I had to do your job of dealing with her," Ghirahim huffed. "But I decided to be generous for once and bring you this present. Especially when I found out that she wrote a message to her allies in that backwater village… what was it called again? Ponytown?"

"It's Ponyville…" Aloe said with a frown. For some reason, his mispronunciation of her hometown of so many years annoyed her to no end.

"Wait a minute," Lotus said. "Does that mean the other element bearers will come here to save their friend? They know we're here? Why did you not prevent this?"

"Who realized that this unicorn is actually the Sage of Generosity?" Ghirahim shouted, pointing at Rarity. "Who should have realized that the rest of the element bearers had to be sages as well? Who decided to bring her here and leave the others in that town? Was it not the both of you? Well, then I have to ask: How else can we lure them into our grasp if not by letting this pegasus' letter reach them?"

Aloe and Lotus sheepishly looked at the ground. "You are right," Aloe quietly said. "Forgive us, Your Lordship."

Ghirahim nodded. "Better. Now, let us start the ritual by summoning the master…"

The witches, Ahuizotl and Ghirahim all stood around the altar and started chanting. "I have a bad feeling about this," Link muttered as he watched them.

Above the altar, a glowing swirl of dark magic appeared. And in its middle, the shadow horse's image appeared.

Ghirahim bowed his head. "Greetings, my master."

Link stared up at the shadow with disbelief. "It can't be… You? How can YOU be here? I defeated Ganondorf…"

The shadow horse laughed in its booming voice. _"Oh, did you now, Hero of Time? Yes, maybe you beat him… a puppet that was dancing on my strings the whole time. Did you honestly think this was all Ganondorf's plan? That he managed to do all of this on his own? Conquering Hyrule, invading the Sacred Realm, acquiring the Triforce of Power… he did all of that with my help."_

"I don't believe this," Link shouted. "You were just his horse, his mount… just another demon he sat on to ride into battle!"

"_Are you really comparing me to that horse you kept riding on on your silly little quest to stop us?" _The black stallion that was once Ganondorf's steed chuckled. _"How amusing… but you mortals always fail to see the big picture. I always acted like a common creature from the depth under Ganondorf's control, just like the puppet that attacked you in the Forest Temple. Did you never wonder where he got all that dark power from, the magic he used even before he got the Triforce of Power? I gave it to him. Without me, he would be nothing. Ganondorf is nothing but a hull, a means to an end, a way to get back of the bloodlines of the hero and the goddess… after he was gone, I waited patiently, in the darkness. And now, my return is imminent…"_

Ghirahim laughed. "Yes, master. Truly, all the worlds will soon see their true Demise… and now, let the ritual commence! Minions! Bring forth the first sacrifice!"

Daring Do spat out her gag. "Sorry to disappoint you, twinklehooves… but nopony's getting sacrificed on my watch." With a forceful yank of her wings, the ropes fell from her body and she jumped to her hooves.

"Get her!" Ahuizotl yelled. But before anyone could do anything, the nimble adventurer kicked over the brazier and trampled out the flames. All of the sudden, the whole room was pitch black, only lit dimly from the dark magic swirling above the altar.

One single move, and Lotus felt that the key to the cage was missing. Another quick move, and Link and Rarity heard how the cage door was opened.

"Run!" Daring Do shouted, and they gladly obeyed. Only one Lizalfos managed to step in their way with a hiss. One powerful kick of Daring's legs, and the creature was flung aside. Blinded by the sudden darkness, Link and Rarity had no other choice than to run after Daring Do's footsteps.

And then, they were gone. Ghirahim snarled as he illuminated the whole room with a bright flare from his horn. "FIND THEM!" he yelled. "FIND THEM AND BRING THEM BACK!"


	12. Seed Sisters

"2 more hours and we're in Manehattan, girls," Applejack said. "No time for sightseeing. We'll be meeting Daring Do and Coco there and then plan our next steps."

"Who are you telling this?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I know what we have to do. Do you think I would waste time with sightseeing when Rarity needs our help?"

"Well, just wanted to make sure. After all, there's this museum of aeronautics we're passing on our way to the harbor."

"Wh-why would you think I'd be interested in something like that?" Rainbow muttered.

"I knew it! Your ear was twitchin' right now!" Applejack shouted.

"Was not! Besides, what does that have to do with anything?" Rainbow shouted back.

"You always do that when yer excited. And when I just mentioned that museum, you were more excited than a fruit bat during harvest season."

"I… don't know what you're talking about," Rainbow huffed. "I know better than to let myself distracted by such… cool… airships and everything…"

I was barely paying attention to the discussion my daughter was having with her pegasus friend. I was looking out of the window, observing the Equestrian landscape as the train went by. I knew this track very well. And after all these years, not very much had changed. Still, even after spending one entire day in Ponyville, my thoughts always went back to Hyrule.

Applejack must have noticed I was brooding, as she came over to me and asked: "What's on yer mind, Mom?"

"It's… it's nothing," I said.

"You're not a very good liar. C'mon… what's bothering you?" She sat down next to me.

I sighed. There really was no point in lying to this filly, was there? "It's difficult," I finally said. "I know this is my home. I would never want to leave you or Big Mac or Apple Bloom ever again. I have friends and family here. But… I've spent so many years in Hyrule, too. And all these years, my life in Equestria seemed like a dream to me. I was just a work horse, but I still had friends there. Now I wonder, where do I truly belong? Hyrule or Equestria? Could I really live for very long in one of these worlds while giving up the other?"

"I see what ya mean," Applejack said. "I can't really say I know what it's like, having lived in two different worlds like you have. But then again, I never really try to think too much about these things. I always follow the feelings in my gut."

I raised my eyebrow and looked at her. "Your… gut?"

"My feelings, Mom. That's how I always decide what to do. I'm not a great problem solver or thinker like Twilight, and definitely not a reckless hothead like Rainbow…"

"Hey!"

She smirked. "But I know one thing. I'm happy when I know the ponies I know are happy. Family, friends, you name it. So, what you wanna do, that's really up to you. Just listen to the feeling in yer guts, Mom."

She playfully poked my ribs and I had to chuckle. "You've really grown up, Applejack. And not just in body."

She blushed. "Well, I pretty much had to. With you and Dad gone, someone had to take charge on the farm. You know Big Mac's not very good at organizing stuff. Granny's getting not any younger and Apple Bloom's too young…"

"Hey, I'm not too young!" the seat underneath me suddenly said. "I am a big pony!"

Rainbow Dash fluttered over to us. "Did you guys hear that?" The three of us looked down.

"Dangit, Apple Bloom! Why the hay did you do that?"

Rainbow blinked. "Scootaloo?"

Sheepishly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders crawled out from under my seat, Scootaloo with a nervous grin on her face. "Oh, um… hey, Rainbow Dash! Don't tell me you're going to Manehattan, too. What a coincidence!"

Rainbow facehooved. "Scoots…"

"Didn't I tell you girls to stay at home where it's safe?" I crossed my forelegs and gave them a stern look.

"Yeah, but Mom… How come you and Applejack get to go on this amazing adventure and I have to stay behind? That's not fair!"

"No buts! I'm very disappointed, young filly!" I frowned.

"Wait a second there, Mom." Applejack put a hoof on her little sister's shoulder. "Sugarcube… listen. It's not that Mom wanted to leave ya behind… she's just worried about y'all."

"But you know I can take care of myself, sis," Apple Bloom said. "You can tell her, right?"

"We can come along and help," Sweetie Belle spoke up. "I know everything there is to know about my sister. I can find her faster than any tracking dog." And as if she wanted to prove it to us, she started sniffing around on the floor of the car. It would have been adorable if the whole situation wasn't so serious.

"Apple Bloom, listen… I know you and your friends mean well, but… well… you are just little children. I can't look after you all the time and there's really not much you can do to help…"

"Sure there is!" she interrupted me, sounding very upset. "Sis, tell her how I delivered a whole cart of pie through a fire swamp, past a dangerous chimera."

"Now honey, you can't just make up stories like that…" I tried to protest.

"Actually…" Applejack raised her hoof. "She's kind of… telling the truth."

"Well, that's no reason for her to… what?" I couldn't believe my ears in that moment. "What did she do?"

"She managed to trick a full-grown chimera," Applejack said. "Completely took me by surprise, too. She hid the cart, made the beast trip over its own tail and all the while, she avoided the fire geysers."

I looked at my youngest daughter with disbelief. "You did all of that… on your own?"

"I sure did," she nodded. "So I'm not as useless as you think. And my friends can help too."

"Yeah, I even brought my scooter," Scootaloo said as she pulled her little vehicle out from under the seat. "There's nopony faster on wheels than me."

"Hate to admit it, but she's right," Rainbow nodded. "She can also pull the coolest tricks on that thing. And by the way, these squirts are not dumb or anything. They know when they're in way over their head. Right?" She winked at the fillies.

Scootaloo nodded. "Sure. We won't be in the way, promise."

"And we'll help however we can," Sweetie Belle added.

"We give you this promise as the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Apple Bloom agreed.

I still wasn't convinced. These fillies knew nothing about the dangers Link and I had been in. But then again, it's not like we were going up against Ganondorf, right? So with a heavy sigh I said: "All right, you can come with us."

The three fillies immediately started cheering, but I raised my hoof. "But when I think for one moment that the situation might be too much for the three of you to handle, I'll send you right back home and you won't complain. Do you understand?"

"Yes Mom, thanks! Yer the best!" Apple Bloom shouted as she hugged me.

"I still don't think this is a good idea," I muttered to Applejack.

"What were you going to do? Send them home on their own? You know they would have come after us at the first chance they get," Applejack said.

"Who, us?" Apple Bloom smiled. "We wouldn't dream of it."

I knew it had to be my imagination, but for a moment I could have sworn there were three little halos floating over the heads of the three smiling fillies.

* * *

"Wow!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Manehattan is so… so…" I could see the wheels in her head turning as she tried coming up with a word.

"Big?" Scootaloo suggested.

"Yeah, that's it," Sweetie nodded. "BIG!"

"Where do we go first? I wanna see everything!" Apple Bloom shouted as she ran around in circles.

I sighed. That's what I had been afraid of. "Girls, focus! If you want to be a part of this, you can't let yourselves get distracted. All our attention needs to be turned to the mission."

"OH! The mission! I almost forgot!" Sweetie Belle gasped. "I'll try to find Rarity's scent… Lucky thing I know exactly what kind of perfume Rarity uses on Mondays."

"It's Tuesday," Apple Bloom remarked.

"I.. knew that," Sweetie insisted as she was about to go back in full tracking dog mode.

"Sugarcube, we already know where Rarity was taken," Applejack said. "The harbor."

"Well, why didn't you say so right away?" Sweetie pouted. "Now how am I supposed to get my cutie mark in… in… whatever it is those dogs do when they sniff for a person."

I rolled my eyes while Rainbow and Applejack exchanged a chuckle. "Come along now, children," I sighed as I started walking. "The harbor's this way."

The children followed close behind me, but I saw how their eyes tried to take in everything they saw. I could tell that this was their very first time in Manehattan. The huge crowd, the many cabs, the tall buildings, everything seemed to take their attention at once.

"D'ya know yer way round here, Mom?" Apple Bloom asked curiously as she scampered after me.

"Of course, honey. I was born here. Did Granny Smith never tell you?" I asked.

"Well, I know we have family here, but I didn't know it was your side of the family," she said. "Now that I mention it, it's a mighty big shame that we have no time to visit Babs…"

"Cuz?"

I stopped when I saw how Apple Bloom did the same. I wanted to urge her to hurry along, but then I saw the other earth pony filly she was staring at, maybe one or two years older than her, but still a blank flank. Wait, what did she just call her?

"Babs? Is that you?" Scootaloo shouted excitedly.

"What are you gals doing here?" Babs gasped as she ran at our small group. "If I had known you'd come to visit… why didn't you write?"

"Babs!" Apple Bloom shouted with glee as she gave her cousin a hug. "I never thought we'd run into you here. Ya see, we've got this big important mission and we're here with Rainbow Dash and my big sis and my Mom to save Rarity and my Mom's friend and…"

"Whoa, slow down there, cuz!" Babs shouted. "What did you just say? Your Mom?"

Apple Bloom nodded and pointed a hoof at me. "There she is. Isn't that great? Come over and say hello!" And she pulled the other filly towards me.

As for me, I was stunned. Of course I knew Babs Seed. However, just like Apple Bloom, my niece might not even remember what I looked like, since she was just a little foal when I was last saw her. But seeing her didn't really worry me. What worried me more was the fact that if Babs was here, so would her mother. And her mother was none other than…"

"Babs?" a loud voice shouted from down the street. "Babs Seed, what did I tell you about running off on your own? And who's that you're talking to? Haven't I tought you not to talk to strangers… wait… Apple Bloom?"

"Hiya, auntie!" Apple Bloom waved. "Surprised to see me?"

"Very surprised. What are you doing here… and Applejack… and…" The mare's eyes widened as she saw me and she went as white as a sheet. "H-holy Celestia and Luna…"

"Um… hello there… sis…" I said. I couldn't think of anything else.

My sister Clementine gave off a short sigh as her eyes rolled up into her head and she fell over.

"MOM!" Babs shouted.

"Mom, Auntie Orange fainted," Apple Bloom said.

"Oh boy," Applejack sighed. "This day just keeps getting better and better… all right, everypony, listen! Rainbow Dash, you take along Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and meet up with Coco and Daring at the harbor. Apple Bloom, you and Mom help me getting your aunt home."

"It's not far from here," Babs said. "We live just around the corner and across the next street. Dad's not home yet, but I got the keys."

"Can't we go with Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked.

"Sorry, Scoots," Apple Bloom sighed. "But I guess this is once again family business."

I was very surprised at how mature Apple Bloom was handling the whole situation. Then I remembered that I should probably help picking my sister up from the ground. Together, Babs and Apple Bloom put her on my back.

"Will you guys be okay?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Applejack nodded. "We'll be fine, just say we need a bit more time to come after you. Let Coco tell you what she saw and meet us at the old lighthouse."

"Okay… see you guys later," Rainbow nodded and waved the two fillies after her. "Come on, squirts!"

Applejack helped me carrying Clementine as we followed Babs to their home. "I guess this wasn't how you imagined your reunion with Aunt Orange to be, was it, Mom?"

"No, not at all," I sighed. "But one thing I'm definitely certain of."

"And what's that?"

I grunted. "My sister sure gained a lot of weight in the years I was gone."

* * *

Clementine Orange slowly opened her eyes and saw the ceiling of her apartment, as well as the worried eyes of her daughter Babs. "Mom? Are you feeling better?"

"Oh dear… Mommy's fine, honey, she just has a terrible headache… I also had this strange dream where I saw that your aunt had risen from the dead…"

"Well… I'm not exactly dead," I said from her left.

Clementine sat up and looked at me. Her eyes widened yet again, and for a moment I was worried she'd faint again. She stared at me and opened her mouth as wide as she could. Then she closed it again. "E… Epona?"

"Yup, it's me," I said with a sheepish smirk. "Um, surprise?"

"But… but how is this possible?" She extended a hoof and poked me, always as if she was afraid I might disappear from her touch. "The meteor… I was at the funeral… I saw your gravestone…"

"That grave is empty, Aunt Orange," Applejack said. "We never found her body."

"You… what?" Her stare wandered from me to my daughter. "You never told us that! How could you not tell us something like that?"

"We thought it wasn't important," Applejack said defensively. "We all thought she was dead, too. How were we supposed to know that this meteor didn't kill her, but instead transported her to another dimension?"

"Another WHAT?" The stare was focussed back on me. And then she poked me some more. "Epona… it's… it's really you? You're back?"

"It's me, Clemmy," I said. "And yes, I'm back."

Babs then had to cover her ears as her mother let out the loudest squeal she had heard her make in her life. "EPONA! Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh it's you! It's really YOU! Epooonaaaaaaaa!" She embraced me in a grip that felt like she wanted to squeeze the life out of me and started bawling her eyes out. "I missed you sohohohoho muhuhuhuuuuuuch!"

"Um… Clemmy… it's all right… I'm not going anywhere… calm down…"

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen Auntie Orange cry like this before," Apple Bloom said. "Have you, Babs?"

Her cousin shook her head. "Never. Sure, she was a bit sad when her goldfish died, but not like this."

I felt how Clementine's body tensed up when she heard this. She quickly let go of me, visibly embarrassed. She hesitantly extended a hoof and patted me on my back. "Erm… I mean… very glad to have you back, sister." I fought back a snortle when I looked at her. Her hair was a mess and her mascara was running. It was very touching to see how much she actually cared for me, but it was also funny to see my usually prim and proper sister in such a state. I couldn't stop a smirk from appearing on my face.

"What's so funny?" she frowned.

"Your mane!" I giggled.

Clementine turned her head and looked into a mirror. She then gasped, wiped her eyes and straightened her hair as good as she could. Apple Bloom and Babs shared a chuckle.

When she was finished, she turned her attention back to me. "But Epona… where WERE you? What did you do in all those years? What happened to your cutie mark? And…" She frowned. "Why did you never think of giving your poor family a message of your whereabouts? I mean, do you have any idea how distraught Mother and Father were when they thought their elder daughter died?"

I had to grimace at that. "Mom and Dad… Were they ever interested in anything besides making me the heir of their company? Or marrying me off to rich stallions? I doubt they cried that much when they were at the funeral."

"Come to think of it, I don't actually remember seeing them at the funeral," Applejack said.

"Applejack, your grandparents are very busy ponies," Clementine said sternly. "They simply didn't have the time to come all the way to Ponyville that day. And of course they were sad, why wouldn't they? They care a lot for their family members, especially their own daughter."

"Really? Then why didn't Gramps and Gramma didn't come to my birthday last year?" Babs frowned.

"Hush, honey! The grown ponies are speaking."

Both Applejack and I gritted our teeth when we noticed how Clementine was talking to her daughter. I mean, sure I was worried for Apple Bloom and didn't want her to come along on our adventure. But she was still my daughter and I would always listen to her. I saw that my sister obviously didn't think this way and I felt sorry for Babs. At this moment, Clementine reminded me more than ever of our parents.

"Well, now you know I'm not dead," I said as I got up to my feet. "We won't be taking any more of your valuable time, sis. We have some friends to save… see ya around."

"Epona Arancia Seed!" Clementine shouted. I winced when I heard my full name for the first time after fourteen years. "That is no way to behave. I just cried tears of happiness when I found out that you were alive and you… you just walk out of the door as if you have something better to do than talking to your sister."

"Actually, I have," I said as I looked back at her. "I need to get to the harbor and find out where my friend disappeared to. A very close friend, I might add. And if I don't find him soon, he might die. Not that you were ever worried about something like that in your life."

Babs whistled. "Wow, Mom! Auntie sure told you!"

Apple Bloom grinned. "Yeah, my Mom's the best."

For a moment, Babs looked like she wanted to protest, but then she shrugged. "Can't argue with that."

"Babs Seed!" Clementine snapped. "I thought I told you to be quiet."

"See what you're doing?" I said as I turned back around to face her. "The poor girl has done nothing besides speaking her mind, and you scold her for that. Babs is still young, why don't you give the filly a bit more space?"

"Mom and giving me space? Yeah right," Babs snorted. "You're talking about the pony who got shocked when I told her I wanted to join my new school's boxing club. Ya know, to learn some self-defense…"

"We talked about that, Babs. I won't have my daughter running around like a ruffian who gets into fistfights with boys," Clementine said. "I mean honestly, what good will that do?"

"You mean besides helping me when I socked that Diamond Dog who wanted to mug me right in the kisser?" my feisty little niece asked.

"BABS!" Clementine was visibly shocked. "Stop using such language in front of your little cousin!"

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Meh, I've heard worse from Granny."

"Come on, kids. We're leaving," I said. "Let's not risk our friends' lives while my sister is worried she might faint from hearing crude language. Goodbye, Clemmy. And to answer your question where I've been these years: I've been travelling through a faraway land, fighting monsters that wanted the death of me and my friends every day. Stay here in your idyllic little world while I do something that actually helps ponies."

Not wasting another word, I walked towards the door. It opened before I could touch it.

"Honey, I'm… home?"

"Hello, Tango," I said to Tangerine Orange, my sister's husband. "Nice to see you again. Bye for now." And I walked right past him, my daughters following me.

After we left, Tango looked at his wife and daughter in confusion. "Honey, that mare just now… wasn't that…"

"Dad, you just missed how I met the coolest aunt I ever had," Babs grinned.


	13. The Captain

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were following Rainbow Dash through the streets of Manehattan.

"I can't believe I get to see Daring Do," squealed the orange pegasus filly. "The coolest aventurer ever… and she's real! And I'm gonna meet her! Um… I mean… she's still not as awesome as you are, Rainbow Dash."

"Now calm down, squirt," Rainbow smirked. "You know that she only gives her real identity to her most trusted helpers and friends. I'm telling you and your friends because you're going to come along and help, but you've got to promise not to tell anypony who she really is."

"Oh… okay, I can do that," Scootaloo nodded. "I promise I won't tell anypony."

"And all that about me being more awesome than her… I don't really think that's true," Rainbow chuckled sheepishly. "I mean, she defeated the guardians of the Lost Tomb of Zobrek all by herself… and what did I do? One lousy Sonic Rainboom…"

"It wasn't lousy!" Scootaloo protested. "It was the coolest thing ever. And you did two of them, not just one. You're as awesome as Daring Do, maybe even more."

"All right, all right, I get it," Rainbow grinned. "I'm awesome. Still, you guys have to be careful if you really want to come along."

"Sure, we can do that," Scootaloo said. "Right, Sweetie Belle?"

She looked at her friend, but the little unicorn was unusually quiet. "Hey! What's the matter, kid?" Rainbow asked.

"It's my sister," Sweetie Belle said. "Both you and Apple Bloom's mom said it's going to be dangerous. And if Rarity has been kidnapped by bad guys… what if they do anything to her? What if she's hurt? She's not a tough fighter like you or Applejack…"

Rainbow snorted. "Are you kidding me? Sure, Rare always acts all sophisticated and posh, but when it comes down to a fight, she can kick flank like the next stallion."

"Really? Rarity?" Sweetie asked with skepticism.

"Sure! She helped us fight a swarm of changelings like it was nothing. She bucked a full-grown manticore in the face. She even kicked APPLEJACK of all ponies around like a sack of… well… apples!"

"Wow, Sweetie!" Scootaloo shouted. "You have the coolest sister ever! I mean…" She glanced at Rainbow Dash. "Second-coolest."

"So… you think she's going to be fine?" Sweetie asked.

"Absolutely," Rainbow nodded. "It wouldn't surprise me if she's wiping the floor with her kidnappers at this moment."

* * *

"YEEEAAAAAAAARRRRGGH!" Rarity screamed. "I got something nasty stuck to my face. Get it off, GET IT OFF!"

"It's just a spider web," Link said. "Brush it off and keep running."

"Quick, around this corner," Daring shouted.

"I hate this place!" Rarity whined. "It's dark and dank and filthy and… Argh, I wish I had never invited you to the spa."

* * *

"She's doing fine, I'm sure of it," Rainbow said as she opened the door to a tavern. "Now come on in. This is where we're supposed to meet up with Coco and… um… you-know-who."

She had lowered her voice to a whisper. All around them were scruffy, ragged sailors, tough ponies of the sea, almost all of them tall and muscular stallions that smelled of saltwater and rum. Some of them turned their heads and looked at the three newcomers sullenly. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo pulled in their heads as they followed Rainbow Dash to the bar.

"I don't like this place," Sweetie whispered.

"Me neither," the pegasus filly whispered back.

"What are you saying, this place is cool!" Rainbow Dash grinned. She put her hoof on the counter. "Yo, barkeep! One apple cider… and juice for the kids."

The barkeeper, a one-eyed mountain of a stallion, looked at her. "Cider? Whaddya think this is, an apple farm? We've got whiskey and rum… and the little ones have to settle with water."

"Okay… then give me one mug of rum." She grinned. "I've always wanted to try that stuff."

"Oh… you're Rainbow Dash! Thank goodness, you're finally here." Rainbow turned her head and saw Coco Pommel walking up to her. The young mare looked nervous and relieved at the same time.

"Hey Coco, sup?" Rainbow said. She then moved her mouth close to Coco's ear and whispered: "Say, have you seen Dar… um, I mean… a yellow pegasus with a safari outfit around here?"

Coco's shook her head. "I can't say I have. I've been here the whole day, waiting for you. But I haven't seen a pony who fits that description."

"That's strange, she wanted to meet us here, too… Wait a minute, you're saying you've been waiting for us in here the whole day? In this tavern?"

"Yes, and I was a bit nervous around all these big… and strong… ponies, but my good friend the captain kept me company." She gestured at an older earth pony stallion who was sitting at the counter. He had a marine-blue coat, a black tail and an impressive-looking beard.

"This is Captain Paddock. He agreed to take Rarity's designs to our new client in Saddle Arabia. Captain? I'd like you to meet Miss Rainbow Dash, a friend of Miss Rarity's."

"Ahoy there!" the captain said with a smirk. "Always a pleasure ta meet a fine, winged lassie as yerself."

"Thanks… I guess," Rainbow said. "These little ones here are Rarity's sister Sweetie Belle… and MY sister Scootaloo."

Scootaloo nuzzled the older pegasus happily when she heard that.

"You're Rarity's sister?" Coco smiled down at Sweetie Belle. "She told me so much about you. But I must say, I'm surprised you are here. Didn't Rainbow Dash tell you how dangerous it's going to be?"

"But I have to help my sister," Sweetie Belle said. "If she's strong enough to deal with something like this, then so am I."

Coco's eyes widened when she heard those brave words coming from a littly filly. "But even I was afraid when I saw those dangerous kidnappers. And… to my shame, I don't think I could ever be brave enough…" She closed her eyes.

"Aww, don't sell yerself short, Coco-kins," the captain said. "I've known ye since ye were just a wee filly, and there's lots of other strengths y'have."

"S-strengths?" Coco muttered. "But… I don't think I have any strengths…"

"Blistering barnacles! If I say ye've got strenghts, ye've got strengths! Yer friendly, clever and always ready ta help yer friends. Who was it who called me right after learning her friend was in danger? Who wrote a letter to Ponyville right away?"

"I… I guess that's me," Coco said, giving the rough but kind-hearted sailor a small smile.

"That's the spirit!" Rainbow grinned. "Not all ponies can be brave right away." Once again, she moved her mouth closer to Coco's ear. "Don't tell anypony, but even I was scared when I fell off a cloud for the first time in my life."

"What did you say, Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked.

"Nothing important, kiddo."

* * *

"Eh, Mom? I mean, I know I have no right to poke my nose in whatever business you have with Aunt Orange… but d'ya think that was the right thing to say?"

"It was kinda harsh," Apple Bloom agreed.

I snorted at that. Those kids obviously never got to know what ponies were like in Manehattan. I grew up here, I had to hear it every day. "Trust me, she just got what she deserved," I said. "Making her daughter do what SHE wants… just like your grandfather. I would never do such a thing, seedling. Trust me."

My daughters exchanged a look, but didn't say anything. Maybe they finally realized I was telling the truth. Sure, I was harsh, but rightfully so. Just hearing Clementine had made me so mad… I couldn't wait to leave this city behind me once again.

Together, we entered the tavern and saw Rainbow Dash and the other fillies sitting at the bar, talking to a young mare and a bearded stallion. But there was no Daring Do around.

"There you all are," I said. "But where's Daring Do?"

"Ssssshhhh, not so loud!" Rainbow Dash frantically waved her hooves through the air. "Do you want everypony to know about her secret?" she hissed as we came closer. "And no, I have no idea where she is."

"Well, we don't have much time to wait for her," Applejack said. "Coco, you saw how Rarity was brought on a boat, right? Is that boat still in the harbor?"

The mare shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. But… I do know where it's headed. Captain Paddock asked around and found out something interesting."

"Aye, that I did. That Caballeron fella, I heard he has business to do in Saddle Arabia. And from the looks of it, he's planning to find some treasure in the desert. Well, at least that's what the rumors say."

"So, now we know where they are taking them," Applejack said. "But how do we go after them?"

"Wait, Captain Paddock has a ship. Maybe he can take us," Scootaloo suggested.

I frowned. "I don't know… I don't want to drag yet another pony into this mess."

The captain laughed. "Are ye kidding, lass? I'd do anything for the friends of Coco-kins here. Also, it's been some time since this old sailor saw some action… time to clean the barnacles off old Mary Lou and set sail!"

"Mary Lou?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Coco giggled. "That's the name of his ship."

"Finest vessel the seven seas have ever seen!" the old sailor proclaimed proudly. "So, whaddya say?"

"Well, I say we take this chance and go for it," Rainbow Dash said. "You can take us to Saddle Arabia quickly, right?"

"Lassie, I can get ye there faster than ye can say 'Ten thousand thundering typhoons'. You all just need to help me on board as a crew."

I sighed. "Fine. You all go and prepare the ship to leave. I'll go and buy some supplies for the trip."

"What, right now?" Rainbow asked. "But I barely touched my rum."

"Come on, Rainbow," Applejack chuckled. "There will be plenty of chances for you to taste rum after Rarity is saved."

"I'll see you girls in a bit," I said and left the tavern. From my days back in Manehattan, I knew there was a store nearby that sold just what we needed for the trip. Just because Link wasn't around didn't mean I couldn't handle myself. Back in Hyrule, I had the mind of a common beast of burden. But here in Equestria, I could finally be an equal, an adventurer just like him.

But before I reached the store, I saw something that worsened my mood immediately: My sister came running down the street, towards me.

"Epona!" she shouted. "Please, listen to me... I need to tell you something."

I glared at her. "What? That leaving on my own is scandalous behavior? Because that's what Dad would say."

She stopped and extended a shaking hoof in my direction. "No, I… I just wanted to say I'm sorry. You're right, I have no idea what you went through. And I have no right to stop you if you want to save a friend. I can't imagine what it must be to live a life like that. But you've been away for so many years and I…" I was surprised to see actual tears in her eyes. "I missed you terribly. And now you say you want to leave again for some dangerous quest, and I'm afraid I could lose you again… maybe for another ten years, maybe forever. But still, it's not up to me to stop you from what you think is right. I just…"

I was shocked when she suddenly threw herself at me in a massive hug. "I don't want you to leave and… and the last thing we did was… arguing." She sobbed. "You're my sister…"

"Clemmy…" I muttered. "Are you… serious? I mean, back at your house you said…"

"I know what I said," she cried. "And I hate myself for it. I hate myself for being so weak and cowardly. Everything that all ponies ever saw in me was what they saw in our parents. Oh sure, I was the rich daughter of the rich stallion and was married to another rich stallion… Yes, we have it sooo easy because we're successful and have money and…" She sniffled. "Everypony always expects me to be perfect and prim and proper. I don't even know how to properly raise my own daughter. I didn't even notice she was bullied at school until I received Applejack's letter. I always envied you… you were so assertive, so independent. You managed to say your opinion and did what you wanted. You found family, happiness and a place you could really call home. And what did I have to offer to my family? A bank account full of bits and a well-behaved manner."

I couldn't believe my ears. "Sis… I had no idea… have you always felt so horrible here?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love my husband and my daughter. But I never accomplished anything on my own. Everything I own is because of my parents and I… I don't know if I want it." She looked up to me. "I had hoped that one day, you and I could maybe start anew, from the beginning. But I never found the courage. And then you were gone and it was too late! I never forgave myself for not talking to you earlier. But suddenly, you're back… and I almost made the same dumb decision as before. I fell back into the same stupid pattern as I always did, and what did I accomplish? I drove you away, again!" Her shoulders shook as she buried her head in my chest. "I'm so dumb…"

"Clemmy…" I said softly and gently pushed her head up. "You are not dumb. And you don't have to be sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry. All those things I said back at your place… I said them because I always thought you were just like Mom and Dad. I was so mad at them that I never really imagined you might think differently. I never really talked to you since I left Manehattan. And now that I'm here, the only thing I do is to lecture you about being a good mother… while I couldn't even be one for the past ten years. Babs at least had a mother. Big Mac and AJ and Bloom had to take care of themselves…" I couldn't stop myself from crying as well. "I'm a horrible mother…"

Clementine gasped. "Don't say that! You are a wonderful mother. Why do you think your children turned out so wonderful?"

That sentence alone gave me warm feelings inside of me. "You… think my children are wonderful?"

She nodded. "Of course. Big Macintosh is the most polite stallion I've ever met, Babs absolutely adores her little cousin, and Applejack… it's just admirable how she managed to stay on top of everything. Did you know she got her cutie mark after a visit here in Manehattan?"

"She did?" I asked in surprise.

"Oh yes, but only after realizing that city life wasn't the thing for her," Clemmy smiled. "And when she told me she wanted to go back home to her family… how could I say no to that? So I brought her to the station right away… the very same station you once used to leave for Ponyville yourself. And she went back home to be a farm pony"

"I didn't know that…" I muttered. "I need to talk to her about this. I'm so sorry, Clemmy. I feel like such a foal right now."

"Don't be, you were just angry. And, to be honest… maybe I reacted a bit harsh towards Babs, too. In an unsafe neighborhood like ours, maybe it's not so bad that she learned how to defend herself. I'm actually a bit proud of her." She hugged me again and this time, I returned the hug right away. "I'm proud of you as well, you know? I still don't quite understand what happened or what you lived through while you were gone… but I understand you must have become quite the brave adventurer, if you're so eager to jump into danger, just to save your friend. You have to tell me everything at some point… but right now, you're in a hurry, right?"

"R-right," I nodded. I almost forgot that the others were waiting for me. "I guess I better get going. I'll be back, though. Don't you worry, Clemmy… and again, I'm sorry."

She smiled. "I know. Just watch yourself out there, okay?"

"I will." We waved at each other and then, we parted ways. She went back to her apartment, while I entered the shop called 'Morshu's Bargains'.

"Hello," I told the chubby shopkeeper. "I need some supplies for a journey. Do you sell lamp oil, rope, maybe bombs?"

* * *

After a long time of running, Daring Do dashed into small, empy chamber and stopped. Link and Rarity followed her. While Rarity took this opportunity to take a couple of well-deserved deep breaths, the two adventurers pressed their bodies against the wall on both sides of the door and peeked into the corridor.

"Looks like the coast is clear," Daring said. "For now."

Link nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Lizalfos can be quite persistent. But I've never had to deal with that many at once."

"You've seen these reptiles before?" the pegasus asked. "Strange. I've tangled with giant cobras, cragadiles, Quetzalcoatls and the occasional hydra, but I've never seen anything like this. They seemed… intelligent. And as far as I know, the only intelligent reptiles are dragons and sea serpents."

"They're from Hyrule, my home country," Link said. "And I must say, I haven't seen most of the things you just mentioned either."

"You must be Link." For the first time, she took a closer look at him. "I'm Daring Do. Rainbow Dash told me about you, and about what happened at the Ponyville spa."

"Wait, you talked with Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked. "She knows what happened?"

Daring nodded. "She and her other friends figured something bad must have happened after you two went missing. And when they went to investigate, they ran into a pile of skeletons that wanted to kill them."

"Great Celestia!" Rarity gasped.

Link just frowned. "Stalfos. Just great. What kind of other monsters did they bring from Hyrule? Are they okay?"

"Yeah, they managed to beat them. Doesn't surprise me that much, to be honest. After all, they were capable of dealing with Ahuizotl's henchmen the last time we met. You and your friends sure are something," Daring told Rarity.

Feeling a bit flattered, Rarity had to smile. "Thank you. But I try to do my best not to resolve to such brutish acts unless absolutely necessary."

"Well yeah, an adventurer's life is full with such necessities," Daring shrugged.

"Tell me about it," Link said. "So, how did you get captured?"

She grimaced. "I was careless. In Manehattan, I wanted to write another letter to Dash, but I didn't expect to be assaulted there. Especially not by a teleporting unicorn who loves to hear himself speak and throw magic gems around. But while I was stuck in that sack, I actually managed to slowly wiggle free from my bounds. A little trick I picked up over the years of my travels. That's how I was able to escape."

"Nice!" Link said. "I have to learn how to do that, too."

"I also managed to snag this bag from one of the two witches," Daring said, throwing it to the green-capped stallion. "This one's yours, I assume?"

"Yeah, that's mine. Awesome job! But…" He looked around. "I suppose you haven't brought my sword and shield as well, have you?"

Daring Do shook her head. "No, that was all. I didn't see either of these things. I don't really think I could have carried stuff like that with me, the way we escaped. How does an earth pony use such weapons in the first place? I always thought unicorns are the ones that perfected the handling of such weapons, with their magic."

"Umm… to be honest, I haven't got the slightest clue. Well, at least the rest of my stuff is here. Lemme check if everything's still in there." He opened the bag and pulled out several items, one after another. "Bottles… bombs… bow and arrow… hookshot… boomerang… Megaton Hammer…"

Rarity and Daring could only blink in bewilderment. "How… in Equestria… did you get all those things in there?" Rarity finally managed to blurt out.

"What? Oh, I have a special bag," Link grinned. "I honestly don't even think about it anymore. I just put everything I find inside. Oh well, I guess I just have to fight with the hammer for now." He put most of the items back inside the bag and reached for the hammer's handle, trying to pick it up with his hooves.

"Hmmm, that doesn't work… maybe with the mouth?" He took the handle with his mouth and swung it around a couple of times. Satisfied, he nodded.

"Amazing!" Daring whistled. "Then again, earth ponies are known for their strength. All I need are my hooves and my whip." She lifted one of her wings, revealing the rope-like weapon attached to her belt. "That posing idiot didn't even think of disarming me."

Rarity cleared her throat. "That is all fine and well, but what do we do now? We are several thousand miles from home, we are being chased by ruffians and we don't know the first thing about this place."

"Ah, but that's where you are wrong," Daring said. "I've actually been here before – you can read about it in my seventh book – and I have a map of this temple."

"Nice job," Link said. "Did you also find the compass?"

"Huh? What?" The pegasus looked at him in confusion. "No, I don't have a compass."

"Ah, too bad. Then we don't know where to find the treasure chests or the boss."

"Link, I think we can all agree that we don't want to go back to the leader of these creatures," Rarity frowned. "We've all seen how unpleasant he can be. And that is putting it mildly. I still wonder what it is they want of me…" She shook her head. "All this talk of sages and sacrifices…"

"Well, in Hyrule, there are the seven sages," Link explained. "They guard the barrier to the Golden Realm and act as Hyrule's protectors, in addition to the hero… that would be yours truly." He grinned. "We have the Sage of Water, Fire, Forest, Spirits, Light, Shadows and Time. I don't really know anything about the sages of Equestria, but they did call you a Sage of… Generosity, as far as I remember."

"I am the holder of the Element of Generosity," Rarity said. "Well, I used to be, until we had to give them to the Tree of Harmony… But I've never considered me to be a… a sage."

"Now that is interesting," Daring Do muttered. "I see a connection here. Link, you said there are seven sages in your country, correct? And in Equestria, we have the six Elements of Harmony: Generosity, Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness and Magic. It wouldn't surprise me if there are actually six sages in Equestria. Or at least that's what Ahuizotl and his buddies believe. Let's say it is true and Rarity is the Sage of Generosity… then I would bet my hat that the other element bearers are the remaining sages."

"And who are these… element bearers?" Link asked.

"My friends," Rarity smiled. "Besides me, we have Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack."

"Epona's daughter is a sage in this world?" Link sighed. "Why am I not surprised by these things anymore?"

"Excuse me, did you say… daughter?" Rarity asked.

"Nevermind, it's a long story," Link said. "And all these theories don't really help us to escape this place. Listen… Daring. Does your map say which way we have to go to get out of here?"

"Sure. But it looks like we have to avoid some traps… and that other passage here leads right back into the ritual chamber. So this only leaves us with that corridor over there."

Link nodded. "Sounds good. You go ahead… this is your world, after all. As a dungeon explorer, I'm just a guest." He smirked.

Daring smirked back. "Fair enough. Let's go."


	14. Meeting her Goddess

"This is unacceptable!" Ghirahim roared as he paced through the altar chamber. "You had the sacrifices. They were here. We could have finished the ritual and the master would walk this plane of existance. The hero's bloodline would be severed. YOU would have had your revenge!" He pointed at the witches.

"The ritual would already be finished if you hadn't insisted on holding your monologue," Lotus replied, the irritation she felt towards the demon lord clearly visible on her face for once. Aloe gasped at her sister's boldness.

"SILENCE!" Ghirahim roared. "You were the ones who came crawling at my feet as soon as you remembered your true selves. You were the ones who pleaded for silly revenge, revenge for a king who is long gone. And I offered. I offered to make all your wishes and dreams come true, if you agreed to help me revive the true master. And all I ever wanted, the ONE little thing I asked of you was to find the seven sages of this realm, as it is their magic alone that stops my master from returning… that, and the accursed blade's power."

"At least we brought you the sword," Aloe said, pointing at the Master Sword, which was lying on the altar.

"That is not enough!" Ghirahim shouted. "We need the sword AND the sages, and you let one of them go, together with the pesky hero."

"Excuse me, Your Lordship," Lotus said, putting all her scorn into the title. "But the one who let them escape was the adventurer pony YOU decided to bring along."

"How dare you?" Ghirahim bellowed as he stood as tall as he could manage. "Your king got his power from my master and you got your powers from him. And now, you are not even at your fullest power, recovering from your reincarnation as a pair of pathetic, colorful horses. And you dare questioning me? ME, the personal servant of Demise? The one sword that he carries in his hand? I should strike you down where you stand for your insolence!"

In the meantime, Ahuizotl was making himself as small as possible in one corner of the room. It was humiliating for the proud master schemer, but he realized that the forces he decided to ally with may be over his head. However, if a little humiliation meant he could finally reach his goals without having to fear the interference of Daring Do, then he was willing to put up with it a little longer.

Ghirahim's eyes were gleaming a crimson red as he glared down at the two pony witches. Aloe and Lotus stood together and returned the glare, both defiantly and a little nervous. They knew that the demon lord was much more powerful than both of them combined at this point, but they knew he needed them. Ghirahim liked to shout and yell a lot if things didn't go his way, but he wasn't stupid. The very reason he agreed to ally himself with the witches was that he needed their knowledge of the ancient Gerudo rituals that were necessary if they wanted to perform the ritual at this place.

"Leave," he finally hissed. "Leave and don't come back without them."

Not saying another word, the twins turned around and left the room. They didn't dare to disobey a direct order, but they didn't give him the satisfaction of addressing him with his title anymore, either.

"You go as well," Ghirahim told Ahuizotl. "Take command of as many Lizalfos, Armos and Stalfos as you need, but bring me those sacrifices!"

"O… of course, Lord Ghirahim!" Ahuizotl bowed and quickly ran to carry out the order.

That left Ghirahim alone with the Master Sword. He started circling the altar at a moderate pace, never taking his eyes off the blade. It shimmered softly in a pulsing light, almost defiantly.

"Come out," he finally said. "I know you're in there."

There was no response.

"Who are you trying to fool?" he snapped. "Me? The hero? Your goddess? She left you long ago, little blade. I know your true form, so for once in your life, show some dignity and present yourself before me!"

The sword's pulsing seemed to intensify, but that's all that happened.

"Do I have to force you to face me?" Ghirahim yelled as he lowered his head. A stream of dark red, crackling lightning came shooting out of his horn and danced over the surface of the sword. A strange humming noise could be heard as the light flickered and the whole weapon started to shift on the altar's stone surface. Finally, the humming changed tone and turned into a strangled scream of pain, and a blue, pony-shaped figure appeared out of the sword. It floated a bit above the ground, then fell down next to the altar.

Ghirahim gave the crouching figure a disdainful sneer. "My master forced me to take this ridiculous form and you take it willingly? If you ever had any dignity as a noble sword, you must have abandoned it when that wretched mortal touched your hilt for the first time."

The pony pulled herself to her feet with a groan. Her face was completely blue and her short mane ended in pointy tips, similar to the tips of a sword. Her front legs were engulfed in wide sleeves and a bright blue gem was embedded in her chest.

"Ghirahim…" she said in a strange, almost synthetic sounding voice. "Not all sentient swords share the same sentiments. My goddess taught me the values hidden within every mortal, while your master only taught you cruelty and vanity. The chances that I could ever compare myself to you is close to 0%. When I take the form of those native to this land, I do it out of honor and respect."

"Pathetic tattle imbued into you by a pathetic goddess," Ghirahim scoffed while he continued to circle her. "My dearest Fi, why must you continued to belittle yourself like this? We are glorious weapons, forged by glorious beings. While your goddess is shameful for taking a liking to pitiful mortals, even reincarnating herself as one, she was still a powerful deity once. The strongest adversary my master ever had to face. But she decided to cast you away so that mortals could play with you. How can you stand it? Their dirty hands touching your hilt… carrying you around on their backs in a scabbard… it's disgusting to even think about it!"

"My goddess understood that not the power of our wielders determine what we are, but their hearts." It sounded pretty strange, even for Ghirahim, to hear her talk about feeling and such in such an emotionless-sounding voice. "Your master and his mortal champion continue to lose, because they never understood the true importance of such values."

"Such a waste of potential you are, Fi… you didn't even show your face to any master that carried you after the first. Tell me, didn't it pain you that the boy who used you to defeat Ganondorf carried the same face and name as your old master? What did you feel when you realized for the first time that the first, original Link is gone for good? He is rotting away in the depths of the earth right now. You outlived him, Fi. Mortals are insignificant, their feelings mean nothing when they crumble away into dust in the blink of an eye. You and I, we are so much more than them. We are eternal."

"As eternal as our masters," Fi said. "Mine has decided to become mortal. Yours was only banished. What will you do when your master's time will finally come, Ghirahim? A sword can only be used by a master. What will you do when he is gone?"

Ghirahim's smiling face contorted into a grimace. "You are starting to bore me… your words will mean nothing as soon as my master returns. Leave for now! Your time will come soon, and then it is you who will have to decide… Will you continue to be defiant? Or will you agree to lend your powers to our cause? One of my master's hands is still empty. He might make good use of a second sword." And with another burst of dark lightning, he forced the Master Sword's spirit back into it's blade.

* * *

"Oooooh, what do I do? What do I do? Do you think I should have brought one of my dresses? Why did Rarity have to get herself kidnapped on a day like this, I could have used her expertise. Does the crown shine enough? Or do princesses from other countries even care about that? I wish I could have studied more about her culture, her customs, but I had absolutely nothing to work with."

Twilight continued to mutter to herself as she, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie walked the roads of Canterlot, approaching the royal castle. Navi was once again sitting on Fluttershy's head.

"Twilight, calm down," Fluttershy said. "I'm sure Princess Zelda is a very nice person."

"She is," Navi nodded. "I've met her several times and you have nothing to worry about. Besides, aren't you a princess as well? Doesn't that put you two on the same level?"

"Do you have any idea how royal etiquette works?" Twilight almost screeched. "Other nobles EXPECT you to be familiar with their manners and speech… I'm gonna mess something up, I just know it."

"Twilight, you're being silly again," Pinkie chuckled. "Try to smile, we're meeting new friends from another world… I'm so excited! I wonder if this other princess likes parties."

Forcing herself to be calm, Twilight took a deep breath. "You are right, maybe I am worrying too much. Maybe this won't be too bad… after all, Cadance will be here, too." She couldn't help but smile. After Cadance's last visit to Ponyville was somewhat distracted by the sudden appearance of Discord, Twilight was looking forward to seeing her again. "Thanks for coming along, you guys," she said.

"Oh, it's no problem," Fluttershy smiled. "I mean, it's not like we've got anything better to do… all we did was sitting around in my house, being scared, while our brave friends are on their way to rescue Rarity…"

"You stop that right now," Twilight frowned. "You saw dead ponies that were brought to life by dark magic, you had every right to be scared."

"Well, Applejack and Rainbow Dash sure weren't," Pinkie pointed out.

"Not helping, Pinkie," Twilight sighed. "What I mean is… every pony can help in her own way. Rainbow and Applejack help to rescue Rarity, while you two help me welcoming our visitors. That's important, too."

"I guess… but what if the others need our help?" Fluttershy asked.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Navi smiled. "Epona is with them, after all. They'll be fine, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, let's think of the more important things right now," Pinkie agreed. "Like, what kind of ponies are out visitors? I love meeting new ponies and finding out just what I can do to make them smile. Should I organize a dance? Plan an evening banquet? Invite them to go bowling? Or just throw a regular, run-of-the-mill party?"

Twilight had to snicker at her friend's antics. "I'm sure anything you decide on will be wonderful. Just try not to intimidate them too much. The first impression is always the most important one."

When they reached the castle, the princesses welcomed them in the entrance hall. Twilight's heart jumped with joy when she saw Cadance standing in-between Celestia and Luna. While Fluttershy and Pinkie respectfully bowed in front of the princesses, Twilight ran up to greet her former foalsitter, current sister-in-law and fellow princess.

Cadance seemed to be just as happy to see her. "Twilight, it's been a while," she smiled. "How are you doing?"

"A bit nervous, to be honest," Twilight said. "This is the first time I'm welcoming delegates not just from another kingdom, but also another world. I wish I had the chance to study their country before meeting them."

"Our world will be as new and unfamiliar to them as theirs will be to us," Luna said. "I am sure it will be a most enlightening experience for all of us."

Celestia frowned. "I truly wish I didn't have to involve both of you in interdimensional affairs," she said, addressing Cadance and Twilight. "Even for Luna, this is something new. And the weight of your crowns is something both of you still need to get used to."

Twilight looked at her mentor with worry. Did Celestia really think she wasn't ready for this? Did she doubt her abilities as a princess? Then why did she invite her in the first place?

"Come on now, auntie," Cadance said. "Leading the Crystal Empire is something I've done for a while now. As for Twilight, I've known her better than any of you, and I can tell she is ready for this."

Twilight looked at Cadance with gratitude. The few words she had said were enough to stifle the feelings of doubt that had erupted in her. Gathering whatever confidence she found in herself, she stood proud and tall in front of her teacher and explaimed: "As a princess of Equestria, I will do whatever will be necessary to ensure our guests will feel honored and welcomed."

Celestia wanted to point out that the few weeks after Twilight's coronation and the few years after Cadance's coronation could not be compared with the eons of experience she had. Still, leaving them out of this would be unfair to them and the delegates from Hyrule. They expected to meet all of the rulers of Equestria, and from a governing standpoint, they were equals. So she reluctantly nodded.

"Very well. Let us prepare for their arrival. Little fae, if I may have a few words…"

"Y-yes, Your Highness?" Navi nervously fluttered up into the air and bowed in front of the princess.

"No need to be nervous, little one," Celestia smiled. "I would like to ask for your assistance. From what we know, our visitors will be Princess Zelda and the 'sages'. Could you please tell us what you know about them?"

"Oh, that is all?" Navi asked. "Certainly. Well, the princess is the most important one, but there are six more. First of all we have her personal handmaiden, Impa…"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the dimensional barrier…

"Is everyone ready?" Impa asked. "Where is Saria?"

"Wait, wait. I'm coming," the child-sized forest sage shouted as she came running in, carrying a small backpack. "I just had to pack a couple of things I wanted to give to Link. Some things I'm not sure they have over there in that other world. Deku Sticks, Deku Nuts, some of his favorite blueberry muffins…"

Zelda had to smile at that. The Kokiri's caring attitude for her friend was too adorable and sweet. "I think he'll be enjoying it."

Ruto huffed. "Well, if I had known we would go to a different world and meet Link, I would have packed something for him, too. I have this new recipe with Hylian Loach, seaweed and chu jelly…"

"My friends, if I could have your attention," Rauru said as he entered the room, holding a pile of parchments. "I just realized something very important. According to my notes, our kinds of species are not native to Equestria, which means we might startle them with our unusual appearances."

"Unusual?" Darunia frowned as he scratched his rocky shoulders. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that there are barely any two-legged creatures native to Equestria. I would advise that we, in order to not unsettle them, should change our appearances to something more… suitable."

"It would also be a sign of respect towards our generous hosts," Zelda said. "We can use our sage powers to adapt to the world of Equestria."

"That means we're going to walk around on all fours?" Nabooru asked with a frown. "That's going to be weird. But I guess I can get used to it, at least for this one visit."

"Splendid, then it is settled," Rauru smiled. "Now then, off to an adventure!" He rubbed his palms together. "You know, this is very exciting. I feel 20 years younger. Let me summon our fairy guide… wait a second…" He turned around. "I just remembered… we don't have the Ocarina of Time anymore… how are we going to play the Ballad of the Breezies?"

"No worries, I brought my own ocarina," Saria said as she produced her instrument. "I can play it, no problem."

"Ah, that's a relief. Thank you, my dear. Now, play these notes…"

Saria raised her fairy ocarina to her lips and played the Ballad of the Breezies. Not too long after this, another fairy emerged from the portal.

"All right, all right. I'm here, I'm here. It's not like I wanted to take that break or anything. Sure, go ahead and bother me. I know I shouldn't have taken this part-time job. But does Tael raise his lazy little bum for once? Noooooo, of course not, it's all up to stupid little Tatl…"

Everyone was taken aback by the yellow fairy's little outburst. Rauru then cleared his throat and said: "Well, yes, thank you for generously offering your help, fairy Tatl. We, the sages of Hyrule, would like to be escorted to the land of Equestria."

She shrugged. "Sure, whatever. As long as we get this over with and I can get my paycheck. Please step into the portal and keep your arms and hands to yourselves. No food, drinks and pictures allowed aboard Tatl Travels. Have a nice trip."

They followed the fairy through the portals and the fae realm. Before reaching the gateway to Equestria, Zelda reminded them all to invoke their transfiguration spells. "As soon as we set foot on Equestrian ground, we will be changed," she explained. "It will probably take us some time getting used to these new forms, but I suppose it won't be too difficult. And as soon as we return to Hyrule, we will be back to normal."

"Oh, too bad," Ruto said sarcastically. "Because I was soooo looking forward to coming back to Zora's Domain on four legs."

"Are you done with the chatting?" Tatl grumbled. "Because I haven't got all day. Get on with it, will ya?"

"Sheesh, she sure is one grumpy little fairy," Saria muttered.

"Do you want me to tell you about the bad day I had, toots?" Tatl shouted. "You want me to tell you that I fell out of bed, was pranked by my brother, almost got eaten by a bird on my way to work and on top of everything, had to listen to a tirade from my boss? No? Then get on with the program!"

Not daring to say anything else, Saria just kept quiet and called upon her powers as Sage of the Forest. She felt the magic coursing through her eternally young body and took a step forwards, through the portal. She felt herself change shape as she moved, her face grew into a muzzle, her ears wandered on top of her head while growing bigger, a tail grew out of her behind, her whole body got covered with a fine coat of fur, and in the end, she fell to all fours as her hands and feet reshaped themselves into hooves.

Saria looked back at herself and saw the form of a small pony filly with a light green coat and dark green mane and tail. On her flank, she carried the emblem of the Forest Medallion. Behind her, she saw how the other sages in their new forms stepped through the portal. She saw a sleek, brown mare with a fiery red mane, that was probably Nabooru. A portly male unicorn stood next to the more athletic form of a female pony, those were Rauru and Impa. A couple of more unusual creatures then emerged: A colossal buffalo whose body looked like it was composed of rocks and an elegant pony with blue scales and fins attached to her limbs. Saria instantly recognized Darunia and Ruto. And finally, Princess Zelda appeared. Unlike the others, she had both a horn and a pair of majestic wings. Except for Darunia, she was easily the tallest among them.

Saria then took a look around and realized they were standing in another castle, the second one she had ever seen in her life. She wanted to take a closer look at the ponies that were standing in front of them… but then, the whole group got hit by a shower of streamers and confetti.

"SURPRISE!" a very loud, high-pitched voice shouted. Then, a bright pink wagon with waving flags and blaring trumpets came rolling in front of them while the voice started singing:

"Welcome, welcome, welcome! A fine welcome to you. Welcome, welcome, welcome, I say how do you do? Welcome, welcome, welcome, I say hip hip hooray! Welcome, welcome welcome to Equestria today!"

And then another shower of confetti hit them.

Twilight groaned and facehooved. "Pinkie… I told you we didn't want to intimidate them."

"I know that, Twilight. If I wanted to intimidate them, I would have worn my Nightmare Night costume."

"The chicken costume?" Luna asked.

Pinkie shook her head. "Nope, the Ursa Major costume."

Tatl groaned as she plucked a streamer from her body. "Great… just great… as if my day couldn't get any better…"

"See?" Pinkie cheered. "I KNEW they'd like it."

A round of chuckles arose among Equestrians and Hyruleans. After the guests managed to clean themselves of most of the confetti, Zelda stepped forth and courteously bowed in front of the other princesses. "Greetings. I am Princess Zelda of Hyrule and I thank you for generously inviting us to your kingdom, Your Highnesses."

Celestia and Luna returned the bow, quickly followed by Cadance and Twilight. "Well met, princess. I am Princess Celestia, and these are my fellow princesses Mi Amore Cadenza, Twilight Sparkle and my sister, Princess Luna. As the rulers of Equestria, we welcome you to our world and kingdom."

Zelda was about to introduce her companions to them, when she heard a loud gasp. She turned around and saw that Nabooru's eyes were wide open and she shivered like she had seen a ghost. Her hoof was pointed at Princess Luna.

"Nabooru, what is it?" Zelda asked with a frown. "Please, get a hold of yourself."

Pinkie Pie looked back and forth between the Gerudo and the princess of the night. "Have you two met before?"

"Considering that I spent a thousand years on the moon, that is very unlikely, Pinkie Pie," Luna frowned."But her markings do seem familiar…"

Nabooru then threw herself to the ground and lowered her head as low as she could. "G-great goddess of the moon!" she stuttered. "Th-this unworthy one is so honored to be in your presence!"

Ruto watched Nabooru for a moment, then shook her head. "I think it finally happened. Nabooru has gone completely insane. Must have been that brainwashing from those two witches."

Luna approached the cowering pony and asked gently: "Pray tell, are you perchance… a Gerudo?"

Nabooru gasped as she looked up at her. "H-how could you know?"

"Sister… please explain," Celestia gently said. "How could you know the tribe this female belongs to?"

Luna didn't reply at once. Instead, she touched Nabooru's hoof with her own. The desert woman recoiled from her touch. "Have no fear. Tell me, what is your name?"

"N… nabooru," she whispered. "Sage of Spirits…"

"Well met then, Nabooru," Luna smiled. "It has been some time since I've seen one of the desert children who once stood at my side."

"Wha… what do you mean?" Nabooru stuttered.

Luna looked back at her sister. "She is a Gerudo. One of the tribes that worshipped and loved my night, in addition to those ponies that would become my Night Guard. I thought them to be extinct."

"But that cannot be," Zelda interfered. "The Gerudo are a tribe of female humans that dwell in the desert region of Hyrule. They are not ponies… she just assumed this form while visiting Equestria. As did all of us."

Luna looked directly into her sister's eyes. "Tell me, sister. In Ancient Equestrian, what are the words that translate to 'Gerudo'?"

Celestia lowered her head with a sigh. "It means… desert pony."

"What?" Nabooru gasped. "No… no, it's just a name. A name of our tribe. We've always lived in Hyrule…"

"Auntie… do you know anything about this?" Cadance asked softly.

Celestia wanted to protest. She knew she could try and find some other excuse. To cover everything up beneath a carpet of lies. She looked up to meet the stare of her sister. No. She wouldn't lie anymore.

"It is true," she finally said. "The Gerudo used to be a tribe of ponies from Saddle Arabia. They were devote followers of my sister… even after her change into Nightmare Moon. I had no other choice but to banish them from Equestria, to another world. What happened to them afterwards, I do not know."

Luna gritted her teeth. "You… you knew they were there and you never told me? I thought… maybe they simply forgot about me…"

"We never forgot," Nabooru said quietly. "We worshipped the great goddess of the moon, above everything else. She was more important than either Din, Farore or Nayru. Her ways were the teachings of the night." She lowered her head. "I won't sugarcoat it… we're a tribe of thieves. Quick on our feet, silent in the night. But I never figured she'd be real… a real person in another world… of ponies…"

Luna closed her eyes. "The Night Guard were my protectors. The Gerudo were my spies and scouts. And when I fell victim to my madness, they stayed loyal. You punished them for following one of our six virtues, Celestia. How could you?" She turned around and fled the room.

"Princess Luna!" Twilight shouted, but Celestia held her back.

"Leave her be for now, Twilight," she said. "She has a lot to think about. And we can't forget our hospitality." She turned to face her guests. "I suggest we adjourn the meeting until all involved are feeling better."

After taking a look at the still shivering Nabooru, Zelda nodded. "I agree. Could I ask for some accomodations for me and my followers?"

Celestia nodded. "Of course. The guest tower is this way."

"I'll show them," Cadance offered. "Please, follow me." The kindhearted princess helped Nabooru to her feet and lead her and the others out of the room.

Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie were baffled from what they just heard. "Celestia… is this true?" Twilight asked. She felt uneasy. "Did you really…?"

"Twilight… I want you to know that while I always strive for an Equestria where everypony is treated equally and just, I do make mistakes. Banishing the desert ponies was one of such mistakes." She lowered her head. "The ponies of Equestria always look up to me… but I am in no way perfect. I didn't tell Luna about my decision to banish her followers because I didn't want to burden her with anything else that reminded her of her dark past. It was difficult enough for her to come to terms with what she did. And while I am not proud of my decision, I did it for the safety of Equestria. Do you now see why I was against the opening of the world border? I wanted to protect my sister from her past."

She turned away from them. "Feel free to stay within the castle as long as you wish. Maybe show our guests a bit of our world before we begin our meeting. I need some time alone. There are a lot of things I have to think about." She slowly walked away.

"Does that mean… no party?" Pinkie asked disappointedly.


End file.
